Tourism MinisterTasks Farmers on Healthy Food Produce

Commends NIHOTOUR on Annual Master Lecture Series

The Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Lola Ade-John has said that her ministry has embarked on standardizing hotels across the country and talking to various
communities to engage in better food and farming practices that will yield healthy food produce.

Also, the Director General of NIHOTOUR, Aladji Nora KANGIWA disclosed that Tourism Gastronomy has contributed to more than 118 million created jobs, translating to 3.8 percent of global
employment, as reported by World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) records, stated that the hospitality and tourism sector has a specialized demand for occupational trade skills
to produce tourism content across almost all the socio-economic sectors.

They spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the 7th edition of the National Institute for Hospitality & Tourism (NIHOTOUR) Annual Master Lecture
Series event with the theme, ‘Sustainable Food Production from Farm to the Table.`

The Minister who expressed confidence in the array of captains of the tourism sector present to come with deliberations that will move the sector forward, said;”most importantly, come up with sellable products that are
healthy. That’s the most, important thing, healthy food. It’s not just food from the farm to the
table, but healthy food.

“Training, and not just the discussion, you know, it’s taking learnings from
those discussions and employing them, implementing them, and also talking to the
communities to engage in better food practices and farming practices, so that
we can all be healthy, increased revenue, and also
ensure that we all work together as a community from the different stakeholders
ministries.”

The NIHOTOUR DG stressed that the
the event underscores the critical importance of addressing food security, quality and
accessibility in the country.

” This event is a testament to our commitment to academic excellence and professional
development serving as a platform for fostering, adding also to the knowledge and its
exchange, as well as research and innovation in the field of hospitality and tourism.

“The
theme of this year’s lecture series is timely and relevant, especially in the context of the
government’s ongoing effort to enhance food production and distribution systems in
Nigeria. By focusing on sustainable practices from farm to table, we aim not only at
improving the availability and affordability of our food culture and lifestyle, but also
ensure that the quality, standards, and nutritional value of the products reach our
tables come from all channels of the value chains, ” he stated.

He maintained that Nigeria, as a nation rich in agricultural resources, has the potential to become a key
player in the global food market noting however that; “these potentials can only be fully realized
through systematic research, innovation, and collaboration among various stakeholders.
Hence, the a need for rigorous scientific inquiry and knowledge dissemination in the field
of food production and management, which has never been more pressing than now.

“It is imperative to state that the frontier of knowledge through research is on course. Therefore, as we convene for this 7th edition of the annual Master Lecture
Series, the scholars are enjoined to renew collective commitment to advancing
sustainable food production practices and elevating the food culture and culinary
standards in our nation.

“In the spirit of professionalizing the sector through academic and skill excellence, we are encouraged to engage in thoughtful discussions, share best practices, and inspire new initiatives that will propel Nigeria towards a brighter and more prosperous future gastronomy destination.”