The Federal Government has unveiled a digital platform aimed at attracting investment into Nigeria’s tourism and creative industries, as it targets a $100bn contribution to the economy and more than three million jobs by 2030.
The platform, known as Destination 2030 or D30, was launched on Tuesday in Abuja by the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa.
Musawa said the initiative would provide reliable data and economic intelligence to help investors identify viable opportunities, assess infrastructure needs and make informed decisions about businesses in the two sectors.
She identified inadequate access to comprehensive industry data as one of the challenges limiting the ability of Nigeria’s tourism and creative industries to attract investment and realise their economic potential.
According to her, D30 is designed to bridge the information gap by bringing together research, sectoral statistics, mapping and other relevant intelligence in a centralised digital resource.
“Today, we are not simply unveiling a technology platform. We are taking a deliberate step towards changing how Nigeria understands, measures and harnesses the economic value of its cultural and creative assets,” the minister said.
She noted that Nigeria’s music, film, fashion, visual arts, literature, cultural heritage and tourism attractions could generate substantial revenue, create employment and support economic diversification if their potential was properly harnessed.
Musawa said the platform would help stakeholders move beyond fragmented information to practical decisions capable of driving investment and enterprise development.
For instance, she explained that investors seeking locations for film production facilities could use the platform to assess opportunities, while state governments could obtain information to support tourism planning and entrepreneurs could identify areas for business expansion.
“These are the kinds of decisions we want D30 to support. We want to move from fragmented information to coordinated intelligence, from untapped potential to visible opportunities, and from economic possibilities to actual investments and sustainable jobs,” she said.
The minister said the initiative was consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the ministry’s target of generating a $100bn contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) and creating more than three million jobs by 2030.
She stressed, however, that the targets could only be achieved through coordinated efforts involving government institutions, investors, businesses and other industry stakeholders.
She called on ministries, departments and agencies, state governments, industry associations, private operators and research institutions to contribute relevant information to the platform.
Musawa added that the government intended to establish a framework for protecting the integrity and confidentiality of contributed data while ensuring that verified information remained accessible to stakeholders.
She also highlighted the relationship between tourism and the creative economy, noting that Nigerian films, music, festivals and cultural heritage could attract international attention and encourage tourism spending.
In his remarks, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Abdulkarim Ozi, described the platform as a significant step towards developing Nigeria’s cultural and creative resources into sustainable sources of economic growth.
Ozi said D30 would provide a centralised source of information to support evidence-based policymaking, improve investment decisions and help businesses identify opportunities across the sectors.
He said achieving the ministry’s employment and economic growth targets would require reliable information, adequate infrastructure, institutional collaboration and an enabling environment for private investment.
“The true measure of D30’s success will not be how much information it contains, but how effectively that information helps attract investment, empower businesses, create jobs and contribute to national development,” he said.
Also speaking, the Executive Director and Vice President, Government and External Affairs at Cavista Holdings, Olumide Olayomi, said the company had provided funding and technical expertise for the platform through its subsidiary, Cavista Technologies, in partnership with the ministry.
He explained that D30 brings together information on tourism infrastructure, attractions, creative professionals, cultural industries and government interventions to improve access to investment opportunities.
Olayomi said the platform’s value would be determined by its ability to help businesses expand, attract capital and generate employment.
He cited Cavista Holdings’ investment in the hospitality industry through Glocient Hospitality, owner and operator of Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort and Conference Centre in Ekiti State, as an example of private-sector participation in tourism development.
He also acknowledged the contributions of the ministry, the National Bureau of Statistics and other government institutions to the initiative.
Nigeria’s creative industries, particularly music, film and fashion, have gained international visibility, while its cultural heritage sites and natural attractions offer opportunities for tourism expansion.
However, inadequate infrastructure, limited access to financing, gaps in reliable data and weak coordination among stakeholders remain challenges to unlocking the sectors’ full potential.
The government hopes the D30 platform will help address some of these constraints by providing a common information resource for policymakers, investors and entrepreneurs.
Its long-term impact will depend on the reliability and regular updating of its data, stakeholder participation and the extent to which the information translates into investment, business growth and sustainable employment by 2030.
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