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The President of the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN), Femi Fadina, has launched a national initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria’s cultural heritage into structured economic opportunities for young people.
The ATPN National Youth Cultural Initiative was unveiled in Lagos before tourism stakeholders, youth leaders, and cultural advocates as part of efforts to reposition culture as a driver of job creation and enterprise development.
Speaking at the launch, Fadina said the programme is designed to institutionalise cultural entrepreneurship as a pathway to youth empowerment and wealth creation.
He explained that the initiative will move cultural participation beyond informal engagement and into organised, business oriented ventures.
According to him, the framework will equip young Nigerians with practical skills in heritage tourism, cultural content creation, identity based products, and enterprise management. The goal is to ensure that cultural assets contribute directly to economic productivity while preserving national identity.
Tourism stakeholders described the initiative as timely, noting its alignment with national priorities to expand the creative economy, generate employment, and strengthen sustainable tourism.
They added that the programme introduces structure, performance benchmarks, and scalable business models that can help youth led cultural projects attract investment and grow.
With the new initiative, ATPN aims to reposition culture as a strategic economic resource capable of creating jobs, strengthening heritage preservation, and building long term wealth for Nigeria’s younger generation.
