Nura Sani Kangiwa, Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), has been honoured with the West African ICON Award by the WAMMA AFRIK at a colourful ceremony of the 2022 1st Anniversary in the ancient city of Kano.

The 2022 WAMMA AFRIK Award Anniversary with the theme: Recognizing and Inspiring Excellence in Humanity West African Icon Award was bestowed on Kangiwa in recognition of his very valuable contributions to youth and women empowerment via skill acquisition training in travel tourism and hospitality trades across the country.

The Awarding organization noted that the exemplary show of concern in the skill acquisition trainings organized by NIHOTOUR under the leadership of Nura Kangiwa is a sure way of taking millions of Nigerian youths and women out of unemployment and poverty by empowering them with skills that afford them to be gainfully employable as well as been self-employed.

Making the presentation of the Award, WAMMA AFRIK urged Kangiwa to remain steadfast in the pursuit of his noble goal of empowering Nigerian youth through the platform offered by the tourism and hospitality industry, a very viable vehicle for job creation, poverty eradication and skill empowerment, adding that the country is in dire need of employable youths that have the skills to create wealth for the country.

In his response, Kangiwa, who was represented at the occasion by Ahmed Mohammed Sule, Media and Public Relations Director of the Institute, expressed his happiness and gratitude to WAMMA AFRIK for taking note of his efforts and contributions and finding him worthy of the award, promising to redouble his efforts at offering the training and skill needs of the Nigerian youth in general, and manpower needs of the tourism and hospitality industry of the country.

Prominent among recipients of the 2022 WAMMA AFRIK West African Icon Award along-side Kangiwa were HRH, the Emir of Bichi, Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero; Prof Abdallah Uba Adamu, former Vice Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN); Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, former Chairman of the then Nigerian Football Association (NFA) and Late Malam Aminu Kano, who bagged a posthumous award among others.