The Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law has announced plans to use its 2026 Tourism Retreat and Roundtable in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to examine practical ways of unlocking investment in Nigeria’s travel, tourism and hospitality industry through better data, innovative financing, infrastructure and legal reforms.
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The four-day retreat, organised by the NBA-SBL Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Committee, will hold from October 1 to 4, 2026, at the Ibom Hotel & Golf Resort, Uyo. It has the theme, “Unlocking Investment in the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Sector: The Role of Data and Innovative Financing.” The event is expected to bring together lawyers, investors, financiers, regulators, tourism operators, policymakers and other stakeholders.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, Chairman of the NBA-SBL, Baba Alokolaro, described travel, tourism and hospitality as among Nigeria’s potential “new oil”, arguing that the country has numerous tourism destinations whose economic value remains largely untapped.
“A country like Nigeria, where we have predominantly focused on oil and gas, you will find that the few other areas of interest that I would call our new oil include travel, tourism and hospitality,” Alokolaro said.
“There are so many parts of this country that remain untapped, unseen, and their potential is huge.”
He said the decision to hold the retreat in Uyo was also intended to take conversations on law, regulation and policymaking beyond Lagos and other traditional commercial centres.
According to him, the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Committee has increasingly contributed to regulatory and policy discussions affecting the sector, while engaging both state and federal authorities on the development of tourism.
Chairman of the committee, Kemi Afesojaye, said Nigeria’s tourism potential could not be developed simply by identifying attractive destinations, stressing that reliable data, financing, capital and appropriate commercial structures were equally important.
“Being able to tap all of Nigeria’s tourism potential goes beyond just beautiful destinations. We need data, we need financing, capital, structure,” she said.
Afesojaye said lawyers also have an important role to play in creating legal and transaction structures capable of attracting domestic and international capital into the sector.
She added that the committee was committed to encouraging domestic tourism and taking its activities to states with significant but underutilised tourism assets.
The Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, is expected to deliver the keynote address at the retreat and participate in a fireside chat on issues affecting tourism, hospitality and the creative economy.
Chairman of the Planning Committee, Rita George-Okoh, said the programme was designed to combine serious policy and business conversations with cultural and leisure experiences.
She said the organisers initially had concerns about the logistics of taking the retreat outside the South-West because participants would be travelling from different parts of the country, but added that the response so far had been encouraging.
“We want to have a room where we have business leaders in this sector, policymakers, and, of course, people who are tourism enthusiasts, have them in the room to discuss burning issues relating to tourism,” she said.
According to George-Okoh, discussions will focus on data, innovative financing, deal structuring and infrastructure. Delegates will also experience some of Akwa Ibom’s cultural and tourism attractions, including a visit to Victor Attah International Airport and the palace of the Paramount Ruler of Uyo.
She said the main roundtable would hold on Saturday, October 3, from 9:30 a.m., while the programme would also feature a cultural night and other activities.
George-Okoh said the Ibom Hotel & Golf Resort, which is serving as hospitality partner for the retreat, had made discounted accommodation rates available to delegates.
She also assured intending participants of adequate security, saying members of the planning committee had personally moved around Uyo at night during an earlier planning visit without encountering security concerns.
Vice Chairman of the Planning Committee, Kayode-Nissi Joshua, said the intellectual sessions would be built around five major areas — data, financing and deal structuring, infrastructure, law and regulation, and the role of stakeholders.
He said reliable data would help improve efficiency and decision-making, while innovative financing and properly structured transactions were necessary to attract more investment into tourism projects.
Joshua added that infrastructure was equally critical because better transport and other facilities could improve access to destinations and open wider markets.
“We’ve not tapped enough of what Nigeria has to offer. That’s why we’re taking the trip down to Uyo,” he said.
He said the committee would also examine Akwa Ibom’s legal framework for tourism and assess how law and public policy could be used to promote investment in the sector.
Expected speakers include former NBA-SBL Chairman Ayuli Jemide; SBL Council member Ohaeri Obehi; tourism sector specialist Justina Ovat; Victor Okhai; and Adebayo Obo, who has interests in aviation, hospitality and entertainment.
Joshua said organisers were particularly interested in recommendations capable of producing measurable results after the retreat.
“We’ll have conversations that will be worthwhile, and most importantly, we’ll have takeaways that will ensure that by the time we’re gathering next year or by the time we are doing an assessment of our experience next year, we would see measurable progress that has come from recommendations at the round table,” he said.
Another committee member, Uyi Edoigiawerie, said the mandate of the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Committee went far beyond leisure trips and social activities.
He said the committee works with regulators and other stakeholders to advance policies capable of developing the industry and contributing to national economic growth.
“When you hear TTHC, people think all we do is just travel around, wear fancy T-shirts, wear fancy pants, and jump around. No! Beyond that, we are engaging stakeholders, engaging regulators, not just to advance and promote tourism, but the end goal at the end of the day is to enlarge and further boost the GDP of this country,” he said.
Edoigiawerie added that Nigeria’s continued dependence on oil and gas made it necessary to pay greater attention to tourism.
“As my distinguished chair here said, we are only focused on oil and gas, but we are sitting on a gold mine which is tourism,” he said.
He announced that registration for the retreat would close on September 20, with different participation packages available for delegates travelling from Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country.
According to him, a ₦600,000 package covers return airfare, meals, airport and local transportation, four nights’ accommodation, tours, roundtable sessions and the signature party. Other packages provide different combinations of accommodation, meals, transportation, tours and access to the roundtable, while a local package is available for participants based in or around Akwa Ibom.
The organisers urged lawyers, investors, tourism operators, policymakers and other stakeholders interested in developing Nigeria’s travel, tourism and hospitality industry to register and participate in the retreat.
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