Unknown to
many Nigerians, the award winner of African Most Outstanding Ambassador 2014,
Ambassador Bianca Odinaka Ojukwu, who is the Ambassador of the Embassy of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria Spain, also doubles as Nigeria’s Permanent
Representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). She
has all it takes to be at the apex position in the United Nations. And we look
forward to the day when she will make history as the first Nigerian and first
female Secretary General of the United Nations. We can say ‘Yes She Can’.
As part of
her interview with our special correspondent, Uchendu Precious Onuoha
In January,
Bianca Ojukwu highlighted on the opportunities offered by the tourism industry
in Nigeria. Please read more.
Could you tell us about your role as
Nigeria's permanent representative to the United Nations World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO)?
My experience as Nigeria’s permanent
representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
with headquarters here in Spain has been
an enriching and highly fulfilling one This involves a lot of travel to
different destinations to promote tourism as a fundamental pillar of regional
integration not only in Africa but the rest of the world and raise global
awareness of tourism as an engine of social and economic development, job
creation, investment promotion and currency generation. This is very important
to Nigeria especially now that the current administration is trying to
diversify the production base of our country's economy from oil to sustainable
sectors.
Our government has also realized that
travel and tourism holds the key to this much needed diversification of our
economy and consequently it has been positioning measures to promote the
tourist industry as an alternative source of foreign exchange, and of course
through this diversification, travel and tourism is expected to continue
gaining considerable recognition as an important tool of stimulating rapid
economic growth in Nigeria.
Last year, the UNWTO Commission for
Africa was held in Tunisia but in the year 2012 it was held in Nigeria, Akwa
Ibom state to be precise and the major players and international stakeholders
within the global tourism sector from different countries converged in Nigeria.
And we know that in the next seven years Nigeria would have created more than
150,000 jobs in tourism. At the UNWTO, we are trying to promote better training
facilities, travel and tourism culture, to encourage tour guide operators, and
we really want to promote international best practices for the hospitality
industry in Nigeria. We recognize the urgent need to diversify our economy due
to the declining prices of crude oil in the global economy. We must find
alternative sources. This underscores the exigency to make our country a
sustainable investment destination by promoting its tourism potentials. We
continue to highlight to member states of this organization Nigeria's economic
growth potentials as well as our vast oil resources, much improved political
landscape and the various reform plans
that have been put in place by the present administration.
The government has also made it clear
that missions should try and encourage foreign investment into Nigeria
especially in the non-oil sectors of the economy such as, solid minerals,
agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, transportation and construction. In
pursuance of this agenda, Our Embassy here hosted the recently concluded NIMAD 2013. With
the theme, translating Market opportunities into robust trade. During this
business forum, we were able to link up Spanish businessmen with their Nigerian
counterparts as well as provide them with an overview of the legal and regulatory
frameworks applicable to doing business in Nigeria. We reiterated the fact that
Nigeria has become a favorite investment destination for any investor desiring
a good profit and business friendly
environment. We were also able to disseminate to potential Spanish investors on
the advantages of investing in Nigeria and our generous tax incentives in
addition to allaying their security concerns. A major selling point is the fact
that this administration has championed expedited business registration measures
that have made the process of registering businesses less cumbersome.
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