The state government says stronger local participation is vital to preserving heritage, supporting communities and achieving its ambition of becoming Africa’s leading tourism destination
The Lagos State Government has begun a fresh push to place local governments and communities at the centre of its Lagos tourism drive, with officials saying the state’s ambition to become a leading African tourism destination must start from the communities where its cultural heritage is rooted.
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The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Idris Aregbe, made the call during a strategic engagement with supervisors, special advisers and representatives of Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas in Lagos on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
The meeting, held at Delborough Hotel, Victoria Island, was convened by Aregbe and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Bopo Oyekan, under the theme, “A Lagos that Works for Everyone, Everywhere.”
Aregbe said the government was seeking to move beyond centrally driven tourism programmes by giving councils and their communities a more active role in identifying, preserving and promoting cultural resources within their localities.
“Every festival, every heritage site, every cultural experience that puts Lagos on the map begins at the grassroots,” Aregbe said.
He described the engagement as an opportunity for local stakeholders to contribute ideas, identify tourism opportunities and establish partnerships capable of turning Lagos’ cultural diversity into sustainable economic activity.
“This meeting is a reminder that the work of building a global tourism destination starts locally, with the men and women who represent us across the Local Governments and LCDAs,” he said.
The strategy places particular emphasis on the role of LGAs and LCDAs as custodians of local heritage.
The ministry wants the councils to help preserve cultural sites, support traditional festivals and develop experiences that can attract visitors while ensuring host communities share in the benefits.
The approach could broaden the state’s tourism offering beyond its established commercial and entertainment centres, including areas that have historically received less attention despite possessing distinctive cultural traditions and heritage assets.
For Lagos, whose tourism identity has increasingly been associated with entertainment, nightlife, beaches, festivals and creative industries, the government sees community participation as a way of developing a more diverse and sustainable tourism ecosystem.
Aregbe said stronger collaboration with local authorities would be critical to achieving “inclusivity, creativity, heritage preservation, and sustainable tourism development” as Lagos pursues its ambition of becoming Africa’s premier tourism and entertainment destination.
The engagement also provided an opportunity for development partners to discuss possible support for tourism and cultural initiatives across the state.
Participants exchanged ideas on challenges facing their respective communities, as well as opportunities to develop cultural attractions and tourism activities capable of creating economic value at the local level.
The Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Carlos Rojas-Arbulú, attended the meeting and highlighted what he described as growing international interest in Lagos’ tourism, arts and cultural potential.
His participation added an international dimension to the state’s efforts to strengthen partnerships around tourism development, heritage preservation and the creative economy.
The ministry said the engagement formed part of a broader effort to ensure tourism development did not remain concentrated around major commercial and entertainment locations but extended to the communities where many of Lagos’ cultural practices, festivals and heritage resources originated.
That shift could also provide opportunities for local businesses, artisans, performers, cultural practitioners and community organisations to participate more directly in the visitor economy.
The state government reaffirmed its commitment to working with LGAs and LCDAs to preserve heritage, promote creativity and develop a community-driven tourism system capable of generating wider economic and social benefits for residents.
The initiative comes as Lagos continues to position tourism and the creative industries as important components of its economic development strategy.
Beyond attracting visitors, the government is seeking to use the state’s cultural diversity to create employment, stimulate local enterprise and strengthen its international profile.
For the communities involved, however, the success of the strategy will depend on whether local participation translates into practical investment, preservation of heritage sites and tangible economic opportunities.
For the Lagos Government, the message from the engagement was clear: the ambition of putting Lagos firmly on the global tourism map cannot be achieved from the state capital alone.
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Its most valuable attractions may already exist within the communities, waiting for the right support, partnerships and investment to bring them to a wider audience.
Victory Emmanuel is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
