Leading stakeholders in Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry have endorsed a Hybrid Professional Governance Framework as a practical strategy for strengthening workforce development, improving regulation and boosting the sector’s global competitiveness.
The recommendation emerged at the NIHOTOUR Stakeholder Engagement Forum held on July 15, 2026, where experts from academia, professional associations, government agencies, regulators and private sector organisations examined pathways for sustainable growth in the industry.
Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Aare Abisoye Fagade, said building a globally competitive tourism workforce requires stronger collaboration among government institutions, universities, professional bodies and industry operators.
Delivering the keynote address, 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, presented a paper titled, Strategic Roles of Industry Associations and Professional Bodies in Workforce Registration, Certification, Licensing and Sustainable Human Capital Development.
The presentation forms part of his doctoral research, Professional Recognition by Professional Practice: A Viable Alternative for Nigerian Tourism and Hospitality Professional Stability, which explores how statutory regulation and professional self governance can work together to strengthen the sector.
Professor Babalola noted that while the NIHOTOUR Act 2022 marked a major milestone in the professionalisation of Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry, legislation alone cannot deliver long term institutional stability without active participation from recognised professional bodies.
According to him, the industry continues to face fragmented regulation, overlapping institutional responsibilities, inconsistent certification standards, weak professional identity and inadequate workforce data, all of which require collaboration rather than institutional competition.
Drawing lessons from the legal, medical, engineering, architecture and accounting professions, he explained that successful professional systems thrive where government regulators establish statutory standards while recognised professional bodies focus on ethics, competence development, continuing education and peer recognition.
A major highlight of the presentation was the proposed Hybrid Professional Governance Structure under the Professional Recognition by Professional Practice framework, which seeks to balance statutory oversight with professional autonomy.
Under the proposal, NIHOTOUR would retain responsibility for regulation, licensing, certification, national standards and workforce registration, while recognised professional bodies would oversee continuing professional development, ethical compliance, specialised training and practitioner engagement.
The roadmap also recommends formal recognition of credible professional associations, clear delineation of practice areas, development of Standard Operating Procedures and operational manuals, competency based certification, a National Digital Tourism and Hospitality Workforce Register and stronger collaboration among government, academia and industry.
Professor Babalola further explained that Section 4 of the NIHOTOUR Act 2022 already provides sufficient legal backing for strategic partnerships between the institute and professional bodies in areas such as training, certification, capacity building and other statutory responsibilities.
Participants at the forum welcomed the proposal, describing it as a practical governance model capable of eliminating duplication of responsibilities, strengthening institutional cooperation and improving the quality of Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality workforce.
The stakeholders also urged NIHOTOUR to sustain consultations with industry players to refine the framework and produce a governance model that enjoys broad acceptance across the tourism and hospitality sector.
Closing his presentation, Professor Babalola said the future of professionalisation in Nigeria’s tourism industry depends on partnership rather than rivalry between regulators and professional bodies. He also commended the Faculty of Law, Lead City University, Ibadan, for providing the academic environment that enabled his doctoral research to contribute to national policy discussions and global best practices in tourism and hospitality development.