Strategic Collaboration for Tourism Growth

Leading stakeholders in Nigeria's tourism and hospitality industry have endorsed a Hybrid Professional Governance Framework as a practical strategy for strengthening workforce development, improving regulation, and boosting the sector's global competitiveness. The recommendation emerged at the NIHOTOUR Stakeholder Engagement Forum held on July 15, 2026, where experts from academia, professional associations, government agencies, and private sector organisations examined pathways for sustainable growth.

Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Aare Abisoye Fagade, emphasized that building a globally competitive tourism workforce requires stronger collaboration among government institutions, universities, professional bodies, and industry operators. The forum served as a critical platform to align these various interests toward a unified national strategy for human capital development.

Addressing Regulatory Fragmentation

Delivering the keynote address, Professor Wasiu Babalola, a Professor of Hotel Management and Tourism at Atiba University and PhD candidate at Lead City University, presented a paper titled "Strategic Roles of Industry Associations and Professional Bodies in Workforce Registration, Certification, Licensing and Sustainable Human Capital Development." His research explored how statutory regulation and professional self-governance can work together to provide institutional stability.

Professor Babalola noted that while the NIHOTOUR Act 2022 marked a major milestone in professionalising the industry, legislation alone is insufficient without active participation from recognised professional bodies. He highlighted that the sector continues to struggle with fragmented regulation, overlapping institutional responsibilities, and inconsistent certification standards, all of which require collaborative solutions rather than institutional competition.

The Hybrid Professional Governance Model

A major highlight of the forum was the proposed Hybrid Professional Governance Structure, which seeks to balance statutory oversight with professional autonomy. Under the proposal, NIHOTOUR would retain responsibility for national standards, licensing, and workforce registration, while recognised professional bodies would oversee ethics, specialized training, continuing professional development, and practitioner engagement.

The proposed roadmap for the industry includes several strategic recommendations: - Formal recognition of credible professional associations - Clear delineation of practice areas - Development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and operational manuals - Implementation of competency-based certification - Establishment of a National Digital Tourism and Hospitality Workforce Register

Participants at the forum welcomed the proposal, describing it as a practical governance model capable of eliminating duplication of responsibilities and improving the quality of the hospitality workforce. Professor Babalola concluded that the future of the industry depends on partnership rather than rivalry between regulators and professional bodies, commending the academic environment at Lead City University for enabling research that contributes to national policy discussions.