The Chairman Board of Trustees of the National Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council (HTSSCN) and Chief Executive of Remlords Group, Mr. Nkereuwem Onung has urged Nigeria to close the skills gap in the tourism and hospitality sector to compete globally. He made the call while delivering his acceptance speech after the swearing in of executives of the Council, headed by him. It was part of the activities for the inaugural NIHOTOUR fellowship induction ceremony held on May 14, in Abuja.
Onung said hospitality and tourism are vital to Nigeria’s jobs, culture, and growth and that to compete globally, the industry must close the skills gap and raise its standards.
His words: “Hospitality and tourism are vital to Nigeria’s jobs, culture, and growth. But to compete globally, we must close the skills gap and raise our standards.
“A key part of that is delivering the ‘National Vocational Qualification and National Skills Qualification framework’ for our sector. These frameworks set the national standard for what a competent hospitality and tourism professional looks like at every level. Our job is to make sure the qualifications are relevant to industry, assessed rigorously, and recognized nationally and regionally.
“As a private sector-led body, we will work with employers, trade unions, professional bodies, and training institutions to ensure NVQ/NSQ programs are practical, current, and employer-validated. Our focus will be on aligning training with real industry needs, standardizing quality, and creating clear career pathways for youth, women, and informal operators.”
He thanked the Nigerian tourism minister Hannatu Musa Musawa and the Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) for the opportunity to serve the country and called on every stakeholder to partner with the council in the efforts to build qualification system that employers trust.
The Governing Board of the HTSSCN Board of Trustees was recently reconstituted by the Director General of National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) Aare Abisoye Fagade with Mr. Nkereuwem Onung, the immediate past President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) as chairman.
