The Lagos State Government is seeking greater involvement of local governments and communities in developing tourism and cultural assets, saying its ambition of becoming a leading tourism destination must begin with stronger grassroots participation.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Idris Aregbe, stated this during a strategic engagement with supervisors, special advisers and representatives of Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas in Lagos.

The meeting, held at Delborough Hotel, Victoria Island, was convened by Aregbe and the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs Bopo Oyekan, under the theme, ‘A Lagos that Works for Everyone, Everywhere.’

Aregbe said the government was moving beyond centrally driven tourism programmes by making councils and their communities’ active participants in identifying, preserving and promoting cultural resources within their localities.

He said, “Every festival, every heritage site, every cultural experience that puts Lagos on the map begins at the grassroots.”

According to him, the meeting was aimed at creating a platform through which local stakeholders could contribute ideas, identify opportunities and develop partnerships capable of translating Lagos’ cultural diversity into sustainable tourism activities.

He added, “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.”

The approach places particular emphasis on the role of LGAs and LCDAs as custodians of local heritage, with the ministry seeking to strengthen their capacity to preserve cultural sites, support festivals and develop experiences that could attract visitors while benefiting host communities.

Aregbe said stronger collaboration at the local level would be critical to achieving “inclusivity, creativity, heritage preservation, and sustainable tourism development”, as the state pursues its ambition of positioning Lagos as Africa’s premier tourism and entertainment destination.

The engagement also brought development partners into discussions on how tourism and cultural initiatives could be supported through strategic partnerships, while participants exchanged ideas on the challenges and opportunities in their respective communities.

The Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Carlos Rojas-Arbulú, who attended the meeting, highlighted what he described as growing international interest in Lagos’ tourism, arts and cultural potential. The ministry said the engagement was part of its broader effort to ensure that tourism development did not remain concentrated around major commercial and entertainment centres but extended to communities where cultural practices, festivals and heritage assets originated.

It reaffirmed its commitment to working with LGAs and LCDAs to preserve heritage, promote creativity and develop a community-driven tourism ecosystem capable of generating wider economic and social benefits for Lagos residents.