Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry may be on the verge of a major institutional reform as stakeholders have endorsed a Hybrid Professional Governance Framework aimed at strengthening workforce development, improving professional standards and enhancing global competitiveness.
The recommendation emerged at the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) Stakeholder Engagement Forum held on July 15, 2026, where leading academics, regulators, professional bodies and industry operators examined sustainable strategies for repositioning the sector.
Speaking at the forum, the Director General of NIHOTOUR, Aare Abisoye Fagade, stressed that Nigeria can only build a globally competitive tourism workforce through stronger collaboration among government agencies, academic institutions and private sector stakeholders.
The high point of the engagement was the keynote presentation by Professor Wasiu Babalola, Professor of Hotel Management and Tourism at Atiba University, Oyo, legal practitioner and PhD candidate at the Faculty of Law, Lead City University, Ibadan.
His paper, titled Strategic Roles of Industry Associations and Professional Bodies in Workforce Registration, Certification, Licensing and Sustainable Human Capital Development, drew from his ongoing doctoral research on professional recognition and governance within Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry.
Professor Babalola argued that while the NIHOTOUR Act 2022 has laid a solid legal foundation for the professionalisation of the sector, legislation alone cannot guarantee long term stability without active collaboration between statutory regulators and recognised professional bodies.
According to him, the industry continues to grapple with fragmented regulation, overlapping institutional responsibilities, inconsistent certification systems, weak professional identity and inadequate workforce data, all of which require a coordinated governance structure.
Drawing lessons from the legal, medical, engineering, architecture and accounting professions, he explained that successful professional systems thrive when regulators establish minimum standards while recognised professional bodies drive ethics, competence development, continuous professional education and peer accountability.
Professor Babalola therefore proposed a Hybrid Professional Governance Framework anchored on the Professional Recognition by Professional Practice model, under which NIHOTOUR would retain responsibility for statutory regulation, licensing, certification, standards and national workforce registration.
Under the proposal, recognised professional bodies would be formally empowered to oversee continuing professional development, ethical compliance, practitioner engagement and specialised competence development within their respective areas of practice.
The roadmap also recommends formal recognition of credible professional bodies, clear delineation of professional practice areas, development of standard operating procedures, establishment of a comprehensive national digital tourism and hospitality workforce register, competency based certification, mandatory continuing professional development and stronger collaboration among government, industry and academia.
Professor Babalola further maintained that Section 4 of the NIHOTOUR Act 2022 already provides adequate legal backing for collaboration between the institute and professional bodies in training, certification, capacity building and other statutory responsibilities, making partnership the preferred governance approach.
Participants at the forum welcomed the proposal, describing it as a practical framework capable of reducing duplication of responsibilities, strengthening institutional cooperation, improving workforce quality and positioning Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry for greater international competitiveness. They also urged NIHOTOUR to sustain stakeholder consultations to achieve broad industry consensus.
Concluding his presentation, Professor Babalola said the future of professionalisation lies in partnership rather than rivalry, insisting that statutory authority and professional recognition should complement one another in advancing the industry’s growth and credibility.
He also acknowledged the academic support provided by the Faculty of Law, Lead City University, Ibadan, noting that presenting doctoral research before national and international audiences reflects the institution’s commitment to research excellence, global academic standards and stronger collaboration between academia and industry.