Ministry of Culture, Entertainment and Tourism

The Department of Arts Culture has the responsibility of promoting, preserving and developing the State Cultural heritage which include; Igbo language, indigenous tradition and cultural carnivals. It also maintains and supervises museums and Art galleries in the State, particularly Igboukwu museum, as well as actively involved in organizing state and national festivals, command, performances, etc.

The department proudly boosts of the performing Arts section known as the state cultural troupe which has been rebranded since the assumption of office of the solution Governor, with three units namely dance, choral and Drama. These units are robustly active and have continued to make Anambra State proud at National and International levels.

Other functions of the department are:

• Registration and renewal of cultural groups (dance groups, masquerade groups, age grades, etc.) in the State.
• Coordinating festivals of Arts and Cultural activities in all the LGAs, National and International outings.
• Identification and maintenance of movements, activities and places of cultural interest in the State.
• Preview of traditional dances in the State with a view to inject and expose them to innovative modern techniques and dancing steps
• Collection of cultural data from all parts of the state, as well as dissemination of information on Igbo culture, intra and interstate cultural exchange programmes. The Department is noted as walking the talk with its construction and commissioning of mmilioma fountain in the quadrangle of the secretariat building where the Ministry is located and it serves as a permanent exhibition centre.

In the past, the Department has played host to:

• Maiden edition of home coming festival in the state in Dec. 2018 which showcased our indigenous arts & crafts, street cultural carnivals, masquerades, fiesta, tasty cuisines, palm wine galore and various cultural troupes across the LGAs.
• Successful hosting of the second edition of the home coming festival in Dec. 2019
• Successful hosting of SUBAKWA igbo held at women development centre and Cana house in 2016 and 2020 respectively At the same time, a lot of achievements were recorded by The Department at their various zonal, national and international engagements which include;
• First position-best product /brand design (brass/metal) at the international art and craft (INAC) expo competition 2018 held in Abuja.
• First position at the Nigeria’s National carnival for the South East zone in 2020 at Abuja.
• First position for dance troupes in 2018 at the international food festival/competition at Ile ife, Oyo state.
• Best coordinated contingent and second position in traditional wrestling at the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) held at Benin; Edo state in 2019
• Guest troupe of Chinese Embassy new year celebration at Abuja in 2021 and 2022.
• First position in dancing competition at Calabar annual carnival, Cross River State from 2016-2019.
• Second position in cultural troupe category at annual African drum festival held from 2017-2019 at Abeokuta, Ogun state.

The recognition given to one of our staff in the Department of Arts and Culture by the Embassy of the people’s Republic of China has continued to yield dividend….evidenced in the robust existing bilateral relationship between China and Anambra State through cultural exchange programmes. The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria has visited Anambra state on several occasions with promise to build a cultural Centre and establish Chinese Consulate to enable Ndi Anambra get their visas in Anambra instead of going to Abuja , as well as assist with training of our youths on callisthenics, dances and participation at international festival of the intangible cultural heritage in Chengdu China.

Tourism is a big industry that provides pleasure, entertainment, investment opportunities, employment, and revenue etc. to the people and State alike including visitors from all over the world. Anambra State is naturally endowed with rich cultural, historical, traditional, environmental and archeological features which rank higher than most other tourist centres in Nigeria. The wonderful hospitality of the good people of Anambra State helps to make the State a lucrative destination for both Local and Foreign tourists and investors in the Tourism Industry.

1. POLICY

The tourism policy of Anambra State is in consonance with the tourism policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria. The main thrust of this policy is:-

To make Nigeria a major tourist attraction in Africa, by bringing the world to Africa through Nigeria;

• Generate foreign exchange and encourage even development;
• Promote tourism-based rural enterprise;
• Generate employment, accelerate rural-urban integration and foster socio-cultural unity among the various regions of the country through the promotion of domestic and international tourism.

2. TOURISM POTENTIALS OF ANAMBRA STATE:

Some of the tourism potentials and investment opportunities are as follows:

Lakes & River:- There are so many Lakes & Sacred Rivers which adorn the landscape of the State, but famous among these are;

• Agulu Lake in Anaocha L.G.A
• Iyiocha/Amaokpala lake in Orumba North L.G.A
• Obutu Lake Ndikelionwu in Orumba North L.G.A

These Lakes are currently used for fishing and irrigation purposes. They also have a lot of tourism potentials like boating, picnics, recreational and leisure activities.

Caves: Anambra State is abundantly endowed with natural caves and the notable ones are as follows:

• Ogbunike Cave in Oyi L.G.A
• Ajalli Cave in Orumba North LG.A
• Ogbaukwu cave and water fall, Owerre-Ezukala in Orumba South L.G.A

These caves are great centres of tourism in addition to their religious/judicial relevance to the people. However, face-lift on Ogbunike Cave and Ogbaukwu were carried out in order to make it easier for visitors and potential investors to visit. Ogbunike cave has many natural attractions including spring water falls, five tunnels with some spinning several kilometers. Owerre-Ezukala cave has a giant water-fall with potentials for hydroelectricity generation.

Erosion Sites:- There are many prominent erosion sites in Anambra State. In particular the gully erosion at Agulu-Nanka has attracted the attention of both Federal & Anambra State Governments and has continued to attract tourist & scholarly interest from within and outside the frontiers of this country.

Cultural Festivals:- Apart from natural tourist attractions in the State, untapped investment opportunities also exist in the area of cultural tourism. The Ofala Festival, New Yam festivals and the Mmanwu (Masquerade) festival etc. are cultural aspects of tourism which have export potentials for the international entertainment and film Industry.

Museums, Shrines & Historical Gardens:- The museums, shrines and historical gardens are monumental witnesses of our ancestral heritage and history that dated back to about 9th Century A.D. They provide ready materials for intellectual research on the origin of the indomitable lgbo people. Prominent amongst these are:

• Odinani Museum in Nri,
• Anambra State Museum, lgbo-Ukwu
• Obu ofor Nri Museum, Haaba in Agulu town,
• Imo Awka in Awka South L.G.A, Ulasi Okija in Okija, etc.

Other Attractions:      

 i) Aguve miracle tree/Obu Gad

ii) Rojenny Tourist and Games village

If the available tourism potentials are harnessed and well utilized, it will in no small way reposition the economy of the State and showcase the State nationally and internationally.

Ojukwu Bunker is also another spectacular site for tourist and investors in the state.

CURRENT PARTNERSHIPS/COLLABORATIONS

The department engages interested groups in partnerships/collaborations once the proposal is viable. Below are some of them;

1. ANAMBRA HERITAGE FESTIVAL: Anambra State organized the first ever Anambra Heritage Festival during the 2014 Christmas celebration. The state-wide festival was aimed at entertaining and engaging Ndi Anambra during the festive period. It was equally to celebrate the achievement of relative security of lives and properties of Ndi Anambra and to encourage our brothers and sisters in the diaspora as well as the general public to avail themselves of the opportunities in the Tourism Industry in the State.

2. STAKEHOLDERS SUMMIT: The Ministry hosting of stakeholders Tourism Summit in the state on Tuesday, July 14, 2015. The summit had in attendance experts in the tourism industry including the then Director- General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), with His Excellency in attendance. The importance of the summit in boosting tourism in the state cannot be over emphasized.

3. POP STARS OF THE 70’s CONCERT: On Sunday, April 16, 2017, the department hosted the POP Stars of the 70’s. All the musicians that held sway in the 1970’s were brought together for a concert. The festival came with nostalgic feeling.

4. PARTICIPATION OF ANAMBRA STATE IN THE 14TH AKWAABA ANNUAL SUMMIT 2018: The State Participated in the 14th AKWAABA Fair and Exhibition at Lagos from 9th – 11th September 2018. Akwaaba is an annual event.

5. PARTICIPATION OF ANAMBRA STATE IN THE DESTINATION TOURISM NIGHT (DTN): Destination Anambra Team was at the 2018 DTN in Lagos. His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano received an award as the best Governor in Tourism Promotion. In 2019, the state equally participated in Destination Tourism Night (DTN) Lagos, topping all other participating states.

6. 2019 WORLD TOURISM DAY CELEBRATION: The World Tourism Day (WTD) is celebrated every 27th of September each year all over the World. It is a day set aside by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for reflection on matters of tourism, its importance and place in the economy of nations of the world. That State has consistently hosted and celebrated the annual event with series of activities.
7. TOURIST GUIDE: The first ever Tourist Guide for the state was approved and produced under the last administration of Dr. Willie Obiano and update production is been expected.

The department was carved out of Tourism department in April 2019. The vision was to give prominent attention to hotels and hospitality industry and to harness the potentials in hotel and hospitality sector. Ever since, a very strong relationship with Hotel Owner’s Association was built. All hotels, restaurants, fast food centres, bars, night clubs and event centers within the state were asked to register with the Ministry. Some hotels complied with the directive while others are yet to comply. In line with Anambra State hospitality law 2016 and with the mega vision of the Solution Governor for the Ministry, efforts are being made for comprehensive enumeration and revalidation of all hotels and hospitality facilities in the state.

Usually audit inspection of hotels are carried out by the department in collaboration with other bodies such as Environmental Health Agency, NAFDAC, Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), Fire service, Security agencies, National light and ABS, as certificates of registration are issued to duly satisfied hotels. It is also an avenue to generate revenue for the state via payment for licenses to operate, renewal of such licenses, etc.

Some staff of the department are posted to out-stations and our hotels are zoned in line with the three senatorial zones for ease of data collection, supervision and monitoring of the activities in the hotels. At some point, the department engaged the services of contractors to assist in capturing of all unregistered hotels and hospitality outfits with distribution of demand notices and bills in a manner prescribed by the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AIRS).

Over the past years a lot of achievements have been recorded by the department in the areas of capacity building workshops organized for hotel and hospitality department staff to enhance staff performances, which was later extended to all hotel and hospitality outfits on safer foods, drinks, water and food hygiene practices and proper management of the facilities. The department was also involved with two weeks sensitization and enforcement of COVID-19 protocols in hotels during the COVID-19 epidemic in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. The strong cordial relationship between the department and Hotel Owners Association is being fully exploited through regular hosting of stake holders meeting and in the recent past, the hosting of the Anambra State Exhibition and excellence Awards in the hospitality industry. In line with the mega vision of our Solution Governor, the department is gearing up to the challenges of ICT and setting up department’s portal for ease of booking hotels by the good people of Anambra State from anywhere in the world. Very soon, Anambra State will be celebrated as the Hub of Hospitality as experts in hospitality industries would be engaged to train Managers and other personnel’s periodically on safer foods, drinks and improved hygiene practices in the hospitality industry.

The need for this department at the creation of the Ministry in March 2016 was germane, to create a veritable platform for bridging the gap that existed in information and communication between government and its citizens resident abroad and within other States of the federation. The power of Ndi Anambra in Diaspora for the Socio-economic development of Anambra State cannot be underestimated. Beyond their known role as senders of remittances, Diasporas have also created businesses, promoted trade and foreign Direct Investment (FDI) while also transferring necessary skills and Knowledge.

In recognition of this very important role, the functions of the Department include:

• To promote and maintain cordial relationship between Anambra State government and Ndi Anambra in Diaspora,
• To keep Diasporas abreast of progress of the Socio-economic development and other giant strides of the State
• To intimate them on the investment opportunities available in the state
• To project and promote our cultural heritage and tourism potentials among the Diaspora communities
• Participate in the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) activities and programmes, collaboration/partnership activities on entertainment across the State.

Since the creation of the Dept, it has lived up to its responsibilities in terms of project/programme execution. With a viable functional platform, the Dept is able to engage over thousands of Ndi Anambra in Diaspora in virtual conference on monthly basis. No doubt, the Solution Governor has keyed into the strategic structure and within few months in office would engage Ndi Anambra in Diaspora Town Hall meeting virtually on building a liveable and prosperous home land.

The Department has activity worked closely over the years with the Anambra State Association World (ASA-WORLD), even during the Covid-19 pandemic, their medical and Education outreaches were implemented in the state with the State government providing the enabling environment and security.

Other Diaspora programmes which the Department coordinated include the annual Eri-festival at Enugwu-Aguleri during which African-Americans visit home to participate in the festival, the Festival of Honour by Ndi Anambra in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, the regular interface and meetings with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abuja, etc. the development of the veritable Diaspora website[in progress] by the department with user interface, for showcasing the culture, entertainment and tourism potentials of Anambra State, plus interactive sessions for learning Igbo language and culture would provide the much needed springboard for the megacity vision of a liveable and prosperous home land of the solution administration.

With the support and searchlight on the Ministry by our Solution Governor, the Department is re-strategizing with focus on youth development—-Diaspora youth summer camp, Diaspora students’ forum, Igbo Kids show (Nkuzi-Igbo), Diaspora Directory/handbook as a guide to Diaspora engagement programmes and data base, etc. would soon be rolled out.