The Federal Government has launched a digital data platform designed to draw investment into Nigeria’s tourism and creative sectors as part of its plan to generate substantial economic returns by the end of the decade. Minister Hannatu Musawa disclosed details of the initiative during the official unveiling of the D30 Platform, also called Destination 2030, in Abuja. She identified the absence of reliable and accessible data on these industries as a key obstacle that the new tool seeks to overcome. The platform will supply investors, government institutions, businesses and entrepreneurs with information needed to detect opportunities, evaluate infrastructure requirements and reach informed investment choices.
Musawa outlined the project’s scope while addressing stakeholders at the launch event. “Today, we are not simply unveiling a technology platform. We are taking a deliberate step towards changing how Nigeria understands, measures and harnesses the economic value of its cultural and creative assets,” she said. The minister added that the platform aligns with the economic diversification aims of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Her ministry has developed a roadmap that includes these targets as central elements.
The ministry’s published roadmap sets a goal of more than three million jobs along with a $100 billion contribution to gross domestic product from the combined tourism and creative economy sectors by 2030. Musawa has indicated that the D30 Platform forms an integral part of efforts to realise these figures through improved data availability. A Punch Newspapers report detailed how the announcement underscores ongoing work to reposition the sectors as drivers of national revenue growth.
World Travel and Tourism Council data places the travel and tourism sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP at 3.6 percent in 2022, amounting to approximately 17.3 billion U.S. dollars. The share had reached 4.5 percent in 2019 according to the same WTTC figures before falling during the global pandemic and beginning a gradual recovery. Industry assessments show that addressing data deficiencies and infrastructure shortfalls could accelerate expansion in visitor spending and related economic activity.
A review by the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies found that Nigeria’s creative sector currently contributes roughly 2.3 percent to GDP while holding potential to add as much as 450 billion dollars under targeted reforms. Musawa has referenced such analyses in prior briefings when discussing the need for policy frameworks, infrastructure builds and stronger intellectual property measures across the creative fields. The new platform is expected to support these objectives by enabling data-driven partnerships between public and private entities.
The minister’s Tuesday announcement builds on a series of earlier government steps to advance creative and tourism infrastructure, including plans for arenas and cultural centres in multiple zones. According to ministry statements, these developments aim to improve coordination and visibility for festivals, heritage sites and creative outputs that attract both domestic and international audiences. Additional details from the launch indicate that the D30 Platform will continue to evolve with input from stakeholders to refine its data offerings over time.
