Abia State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Amena Tourism and Hospitality Innovation Technology Solutions to digitally standardise, grade and classify Hotels and Hospitality facilities across the State.
Speaking on Tuesday while performing the exercise at the office of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Mr Matthew Ekwuruibe, said the initiative was designed to ensure that no hospitality establishment in Abia goes unnoticed, including on international platforms.
Mr Ekwuruibe who described the initiative as a landmark intervention, said the project aligns with the vision of the Governor Alex Otti-led administration to impact every sector of the economy.
The Commissioner said it would enhance safety, build visitor confidence and guarantee quality standards within the hospitality sector.
According to him, the exercise, expected to last between four and five months, will involve touring all parts of the State to identify, document and assess hospitality facilities.
He explained that the grading and classification process would be fully digital, incorporating geolocation, photography and other advanced technological tools, adding that only facilities that meet approved standards would be listed on the online platform.
Mr Ekwuruibe said the initiative would enhance traveller confidence by providing consistent hospitality standards and assuring both domestic and international visitors of quality and reliability.
He noted that it would also improve service delivery by raising accommodation standards and encouraging healthy competition among operators, while fostering economic growth through job creation.
“The project will strengthen the tourism value chain by stimulating growth in related sectors such as transport, food services, crafts and cultural exhibitions”, he said.
The Commissioner further explained that the initiative would boost security and regulatory compliance by enabling the government to maintain a verified register of graded hotels, thereby reducing risks for travellers and ensuring proper oversight of operators.
“With a click, you will be able to locate where you want to sleep or rest, or even the restaurant and all the rest of them.
“It’s also going to enhance security and when we are done with also the law of tourism, a lot of things will be made mandatory. We are talking of security as people might not be able to lodge in hotels without a proper ID card.
“It is also going to enhance the quality of the hospitality industries in Abia State, bringing it to a certain standard”, he said.
Ekwuruibe said lessons had been drawn from tourism laws in other states, noting that certain standards would be made mandatory, including proper identification for hotel lodging, as part of efforts to strengthen security and improve service delivery.
He disclosed that the State Government had provided a ₦10 billion counterpart fund through the Bank of Industry to support the initiative.
According to him, hospitality businesses that fall below the required standards would be encouraged to access the loan facility to upgrade their facilities, noting that the loan attracts a single-digit interest rate of between 7.5 and 8 per cent.
“The State Government has also provided a loan scheme through the Bank of Industry, it’s actually a 10 billion Naira counterpart fund.
“Also, during this period of classification and grading, we will also encourage some of the hospitality industries that are not up to standard to access this loan provided by the present administration.
“This is to enable them to enhance whatever they feel is not up to standard in their industries. “It might also please you to know that this loan goes for only 7.5 or 8 per cent interest rate which you can’t find anywhere”, he said.
The Commissioner announced that stakeholder engagement would commence before the end of the first quarter of the year, urging hotel owners and associations to participate actively in the process.
“I am encouraging hotel associations to come out en masse because without them, this project cannot be implemented effectively”, he said.
He added that extensive groundwork had already been completed, including the development of a digital application for enumeration and mapping, incorporating geolocation and other advanced features rather than manual data collection.
Mr Ekwuruibe further addressed longstanding concerns about uniform charges, explaining that the new grading system would classify hotels into one-star, two-star and higher categories.
“At the end of the classification, hotels will no longer pay the same fees, as registration and renewal rates will be based on their star ratings”, the Commissioner said.
He pointed out the initiative would boost the State’s internally generated revenue while ensuring transparency and proper revenue collection
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ikechukwu Uwanna, commended the organisation for its collaboration with the State’s legal team in finalising the service-level agreement.
Barr. Uwanna said the agreement would usher in a new era for the hospitality sector in Abia by creating a robust database that would enhance security and promote transparency in the operation of hospitality businesses.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of Amena Tourism and Hospitality Innovation Technology Solutions, Mr Edosa Eghobamien, said the project goes beyond existing ECOWAS and Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) standards by integrating technology into hospitality grading and classification.
He described the digital application being deployed as a home-grown solution developed entirely by his team, adding that the platform had been strengthened to be fraud-proof.
Eghobamien commended the Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy for his professionalism and transparency, noting that the initiative would promote standardisation, boost business for hospitality operators and increase government revenue.
He expressed gratitude to the Abia State Government for the opportunity, assuring that a comprehensive final report would be submitted at the conclusion of the exercise.
