The Cross River State Government has disclosed plan to invest over N18 billion in hospitality and tourism economy of the state, as it begins capacity building of food handlers on food safety and hygiene.

The State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu made this disclosure on Monday at the opening of 3-day capacity building training in Food Safety and Hygiene for hospitality worker in the state held at Pearl Ball Hall, Metropolitan Hotel, Calabar, organized by Kintia Food Safety and Quality Assurance Consultancy in collaboration with State Government.

The Governor, represented by the Managing Director of Cross River State Tourism Bureau, Mr John Atsu said investment in infrastructure would be meaningless without skilled manpower to manage it.

Declaring training open on
The training was organized by Kintia Food Safety and Quality Assurance Consultancy in collaboration with State Government through Office of Special Adviser to Governor on Hospitality, Hon. Albert Kusi.

“This training is not just another workshop. It is a strategic investment in the people who make Cross River the hospitality capital of Nigeriia”.

“My administration is investing over N18 billion in revamping our tourism assets – Obudu, Tinapa and our hotels. But no matter how much we invest in buildings, if we do not invest in people who serve food and receive guests, that investment will fail.”

Otu said beautiful scenery alone cannot sustain tourism, as visitors now ask about food safety, cleanliness and professionalism. He warned that one case of poor food handling can destroy reputation of entire destination.

He said training was designed to cover entire food value chain, from five-star hotels to buka and street food vendors, noting that every food handler is ambassador of state. He added that government will henceforth set and enforce minimum hygiene standards, and that training will be continuous and certification-based.

Earlier in his welcome address, Special Adviser to Governor on Hospitality, Hon. Albert Kusi, said training was aimed at promoting best practices and strong service culture among food handlers.

Kusi said Cross River has over time established itself as Nigeria’s number one tourism destination, making it strategic to reposition service providers in line with diverse service demands and international standards.

“This programme marks beginning of series of similar capacity-building initiatives of Prince Bassey Otu Administration for hospitality sector,” Kusi said, adding that such significant investment comes with opportunities that require highly equipped and competent providers.

He thanked Governor Otu for proactive foresight, noting that investments without requisite skilled human resources result in stunted growth, and described training as timely as state prepares to host international guests and business leaders.

Kusi charged participants from hotels, restaurants, bars, fast foods, lounges and bukas who were selected as Training Ambassadors to transfer knowledge to colleagues, stressing that poor hygiene practices undermine service quality and damage destination reputation.

He said government deliberately extended orientation to street food outlets and bukas because many tourists experience destination through informal providers, and called for building stronger, safer and world-class hospitality sector known for high standards of hygiene, safety and professionalism.

In a keynote address, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Ayuk warned that government will not hesitate to shut down any hospitality facility posing imminent danger to public health, as it moves to make Calabar the safest place to eat in Nigeria by 2027.

The Commissioner represented by the head of Food Safety, Nutrition and WASH Department, Dr Simon Obogo said one outbreak from a single kitchen can dent entire tourism sector ahead of Carnival season.

He said local delicacies are tourist attractions but can spread disease if mishandled, with WHO estimating 1 in 10 people globally fall ill from contaminated food yearly, while cholera, typhoid and food poisoning remain major challenges in Nigeria.

Ayuk said the ministry will use supportive inspection with standardized checklist, enforce six-monthly medical screening for food handlers, issue Food Safety Certificate of Hygiene as compliance badge, and has activated a complaint response line.

He charged operators to treat their kitchen as their brand and provide basic hygiene facilities, stressing government will support compliant businesses but will be firm with violators.

The training was attended by workers in the hospitality sector and food handlers in the state.