The National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), on Sunday showcased
cuisines from different ethnic groups in Nigeria at the opening ceremony of the 18th AKWAABA Africa Travel Market, in Lagos.
The cuisines exhibited were amala, ewedu, ofe- owerri, ofada rice, roasted plantain, tuwo shinkafa, abacha as well as local snacks and drinks like zobo, fura-de-nunu, ginger drink, kunu, palm wine among others.
The opening ceremony of the tourism expo held at the Wave Beach, Lekki, had in attendance the Sierra Leone Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Dr Memunatu Pratt, tour operators and travel agents across African countries.
Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, Director-General, NIHOTOUR, said the essence of the exhibition was to ensure Africans are conversant with Nigerian cuisines.
Kangiwa noted that AKWAABA was a viable platform through which the nation’s cuisines could be projected and marketed for global acceptance.
He said the nation was well endowed with nutritious, medicinal and delicious cuisines which a lot of people did not know.
“This year’s edition of AKWAABA, we in NIHOTOUR have tried to explore the platform to showcase our cuisines.
“We want the world to know how rich Nigerian cuisines are in terms of nutrition, medicinal properties and more.
“We are proud to be associated with AKWAABA, an expo with the most successful MICE event in Africa and we congratulate Mr Ikechi Uko for the 18th edition of the expo,” he said.
Also, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, Executive Director, National Films and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), urged international participants to leverage the enormous tourism and cultural potential in Lagos State and Nigeria in gemeral.
He said the Federal Government had enacted the ease of doing business policy and that the Lagos State Government had also invested in creating enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
He noted that these commitment from the federal government and the state government would help to boost tourism businesses.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)reports that the 18th AKWAABA Africa Travel and Tourism Market holds from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.
NAN
