The Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) recently paid a courtesy visit to His Excellency, Ambassador Salem Muhammed Al-Shamsi, the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, in a bid to strengthen bilateral cooperation in tourism, training, and cultural exchange.
The Ambassador, who warmly welcomed the DG and his delegation, commended Nigeria’s immense potential in tourism and human capital development, emphasizing that the country remains a key partner to the UAE.
The Director General introduced his team and outlined NIHOTOUR’s vision for strategic collaboration, especially in areas such as academic exchange, skills development, and cultural integration.
During the meeting, NIHOTOUR proposed a wide range of initiatives aimed at enhancing mutual growth and capacity building.
These include bilateral training exchanges, partnership with the Emirates Academy of Tourism, executive and “train-the-trainer” programs, digital knowledge sharing, technical support, smart classroom donations, and the establishment of a digital learning platform.
A major highlight of the discussion was the proposed Nigeria–UAE Culinary Week an initiative designed to promote cultural diplomacy through food and hospitality experiences.
The two parties also explored opportunities in tourism investment facilitation, hospitality real estate, and human resource platforms to support skilled youth migration and training in the UAE’s tourism sector.
The Ambassador expressed strong support for the proposals and reaffirmed his commitment to seeing the partnership thrive.
He shared that over the past two years, he had helped increase non-oil trade between both countries from $2.2 billion to $4.3 billion and played a role in the resumption of direct flights between Lagos and Dubai.
He emphasized that Nigeria is like family to the UAE and praised the talent and potential of its people.
An official Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize all discussed areas of collaboration is expected to be signed soon, with a joint business forum scheduled for August to further strengthen ties.
