Calabar, Nigeria – The Government of Cross River State (CRSG) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sterling Bank Consortium to digitalise the tourism sector of the state.
The MoU was signed on Wednesday, 29th May 2024, by Governor Bassey Otu, who was represented by Hon. Abubakar Ewa, Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, and officials from Sterling Bank Consortium led by Dr Henry Onyemachi, CEO of ICT Health, a member of Sterling Consortium.
The first phase of the project, Visit Cross River, is meant to benefit the state in three ways, Economic Expansion, Employment Opportunities and Enhanced Tourist Experience, which will set a robust foundation for subsequent digital transformations within other sectors.
The initiative marks the commencement of the Tourism Phase of the Cross River Digitalisation (CRID) Project – a comprehensive plan developed in partnership with Sterling Bank to digitalise Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) across the state.
Featured attractions under this initiative include the spectacular Calabar Carnival, the serene Kwa Waterfalls, and the biodiversity-rich Cross River National Park, Obudu Mountains and many others showcasing the unique cultural and natural assets of Cross River State.
Speaking with journalists immediately after the signing of the MoU, Hon. Ewa, on behalf of the Governor said the Government will upgrade infrastructures as Sterling Bank develops the tourist sites
“The government will definitely upgrade the infrastructure, hat’s not the responsibility of Sterling Bank. The Bank is to develop the tour sites,” adding that, “This MoU is the process of digitalising the Cross River tourism sector in terms of site development, revenue generation, and we will be able to arrange tour packages.
“In this partnership, as a ministry what we are into is community tourism, and in community tourism, we need partnership because these sites belong to communities – they are not government sites. So, this partnership is to bring Sterling consortium which has the capital to develop the tour sites, generate revenue that will also accrue to the communities, and by increasing the value chain.”
Dr Henry Onyemachi, CEO of ICT Health, a member of Sterling Consortium (Right), after signing the MoU. 29th May 2024.
He said they have discovered new tourist sites, including the Bamba Cave, Kendeshua (natural lake) that sits between Boki and Etung, natural swimming pool in Nde mountain, etc.
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“The existing ones, like the Agbokim waterfall, Kwa falls, we are thinking of adding Zipline to add value to the sites. That will also attract more tourists visitors. We have also increased our cultural festivals – now, Mbube new yam has been captured into Cross River tourism calendar, same with Bekwara,” he said.
On his part, Dr Onyemachi, CEO of ICT Health, a member of the Sterling consortium, said the goal is to digitalise the state so that the people can touch the government wherever they are.
“So for tourism, we have come to digitalise it, and one of the ways is to help the Tourism Ministry do what they do best. We are developing a platform that will enable people to access different tourist sites in Cross River, which is called Visit Cross River. That project will be unveiled in the next two to three weeks. It will be a big event. We will unveiled it, gather people and showcase how they can be able to access tourism in Cross River State,” he said.
CONVERSEER reports that Cross River State has a rich cultural heritage and stunning natural landscapes, and it annually attracts numerous tourists.
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