Tourism Advocate Phil Roberts Urges President to Revisit the 2019 Nigeria-China MOU

Tourism Advocate Phil Roberts Urges President to Revisit the 2019 Nigeria-China MOU.

Tourism advocate, Ambassador Phil Roberts, has called on the President of Nigeria to revisit the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Nigeria and China in 2019. The MOU was initially executed by the then Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as part of efforts to among other things to boost tourism exchanges between the two nations.

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Phil Roberts highlighted that the MOU, which was also meant to increase tourism flows between Nigeria and China, was never fully implemented. “The Nigerian-China MOU signed by Lai Mohammed has yet to be activated, even as both countries recently agreed on a $3.3 billion deal,” Roberts said.

He further urged President Bola Tinubu to establish mechanisms that will ensure the full implementation of the new MOU with China, emphasizing its potential to significantly enhance the tourism industries in both countries. The advocate stressed the importance of leveraging the new MOU for the benefit of Nigeria’s tourism sector, citing its capacity to transform the country into a global tourism destination using the successful Chinese tourism model.

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The original 2019 MOU aimed to facilitate group travel for Chinese tourists to Nigeria by granting the country Approved Destination Status (ADS). However, according to Roberts, this agreement has remained inactive.

“With the new MOU signed during President Tinubu’s visit to China, which I witnessed, the FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) platform will foster deeper cooperation under the China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan (2025-2027). This plan includes a focus on cultural exchanges, tourism, sports, education, and media, all of which will strengthen people-to-people ties,” Roberts explained.

He noted that the new agreement seeks to boost sustainable tourism development in Nigeria by implementing strategies similar to China’s tourism model. He stressed that programs like the Belt and Road Initiative are vital to positioning Nigeria’s tourism sector on the global stage.

Roberts also announced that the Tourism Volunteers Network is committed to tracking the progress of the MOU. The organization plans to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the agreement’s objectives are realized under the current administration.

In closing, Roberts disclosed that he is already in discussions with Chinese partners to monitor the implementation process closely. He believes that effective collaboration between the two countries will “breathe fresh air” into Nigeria’s tourism industry, ultimately benefiting both local stakeholders and the economy.

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