By Ihechinyere Chigemeri-Uwom
Aba, Feb. 19, 2026
The Abia Government is set to transform the state’s hospitality sector and develop 55 natural heritage sites into major tourist attractions.
The Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Chief Matthew Ekwuribe, announced this on Thursday at Hospitality and Tourism Stakeholders Engagement meeting organised by the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, in Aba.
The meeting was organised by the ministry as part of efforts to reposition the state’s hospitality industry.
Recall that the Abia State Government, through the Ministry, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Amena Hospitality and Tourism Innovative Technology, a Tech Firm, to digitise and standardise the hospitality industry across the state.
The Commissioner said that the initiative aims to boost service standards, create a digital hub for hotels, bars, lounges, and restaurant, as well as give travellers confidence in Abia as a top tourism destination.
Ekwuribe said that the grading exercise was aimed at bringing all operators together and exposing them to travellers to boost visitors’ confidence in their choice of accommodation and services.
“The main purpose of this grading is to bring all the industry together and to expose them to travellers, so that visitors can have confidence in where they are going to stay,” he said.
The commissioner called on all hospitality establishments in the state to collaborate with the government to achieve the objective, adding that the initiative extended beyond hotels and restaurants.
He also revealed that the initiative extends beyond hotels and restaurants to the development of tourism destinations across the state.
“Currently, there are 55 natural heritage sites discovered in the state to be developed into tourist centres.
“The heritage sites include Azummiri River, Aro Waterfall, gigantic caves in different parts of the state, and many others,” he said.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Mrs Chibuzo Ehiemere, said that that owners of hotels, bars, lounges, and restaurants in the state will not be required to pay any fees for the upcoming hospitality grading and classification exercise.
Ehiemere said that the state government would fully fund the grading and classification exercise.
“I know that the unspoken question in your hearts right now is, ‘How much is government going to ask you to pay?’ .
“His Excellency has decided that this grading will be fully funded by the state and not by you,” she said.
Ehiemere urged operators not to entertain fears of financial charges and to key into the initiative.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of Amena Hospitality and Tourism Innovative Technology, Mr. Edosa Eghobamien, said the exercise would enable establishments in the state to align with global best practices.
He described the grading and classification as a systematic evaluation.
Eghobamien said that the evaluation would be based on standardised service delivery, facility infrastructure, operational efficiency, hygiene compliance, safety practices and customer experience benchmarks.
