Lai Mohammed has been appointed special adviser to Zurab Pololikashvili, the secretary general of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

Mr Mohammed’s appointment was announced during the opening session of the 66th UNWTO Commission for Africa (CAF) currently underway in Mauritius.

The former Nigerian information minister played instrumental roles in the affairs of the global tourism body for the past seven years. He led the organisation of the 61st UNWTO CAF meetings in Nigeria in 2018 and the maiden UNWTO Global Conference on Linking Tourism, Culture and Creative Industries in Lagos last year.

He is expected to help Mr Pololikashvili pursue his objective of making Africa a key region for the global tourism economy through his ‘Agenda for Africa’ programme.

Accepting the new role, Mr Mohammed said, “I stand before you, deeply touched and inspired by your generous words of confidence and trust. With so much gratitude for the confidence placed in me by the secretary general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Mr Zurab Pololikashivili and with an unswerving resolve to honour that trust, I humbly accept the appointment as the special advisor on tourism to the secretary general of this great organisation.”

He added, “I am deeply honoured to become the first Nigerian to serve in this capacity. Nigeria is dynamic and diverse in terms of natural and human resources in the areas of tourism, culture, creative industries, technology, and other aspects of our national economy.”

The mandate of the special adviser cuts across several responsibilities ranging from assisting in developing a strategy for restarting sustainable and safe tourism post-COVID-19 and advising the UNWTO secretary general on issues related to information and culture.

The former minister’s role includes preparing relevant reports and research documents in line with UNWTO’s principles and accompanying the secretary general on his official visits. He is also expected to offer advice to him during such visits and propose relevant public relations actions in line with the organisation’s priorities. 

(NAN)