Google Maps Will Boost Tourism in Nigeria- Lai Mohammed

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has stated on Friday at the launch of the Economic Value of Geospatial Services in Nigeria that the nation needs to leverage on technology, particularly digital mapping and Street Views to boost tourism in Nigeria.

He said “As we look to make Nigeria a major tourism destination in Africa, technologies such as Google Maps, but more specifically Street View put forward by Google, will become increasingly important on that front. We hope to see even more value as increasing numbers of people use tools like Google Street View to explore Nigeria,” he said.

“We know this because we’ve seen the impact that Street View has had in destinations around Africa. In South Africa, for instance, people can take a guided tour of Robben Island, the prison which held Nelson Mandela and many other South African freedom fighters during apartheid”.

“In Kenya, meanwhile, users can take virtual treks through some of the country’s most famous game reserves. And in Tanzania, people can get up close and personal with the chimpanzees of Gombe National Park as a result of partnership between Google and the Jane Goodall foundation”.

“These are all examples of how giving people a taste of a place they have not visited is a powerful incentive to get them to experience the reality. We look forward to doing the same in Nigeria, as we show off our own natural and cultural heritage.

“It also promotes and encourages patronage of local agriculture and creative industries as well as manufactured products by operators in the tourism industry. That’s especially important as we look to cement our place as Africa’s largest economy”.

He also stated that “Events such as this one offer a powerful reminder of how impactful partnerships between government and private companies like Google can be – to grow our local businesses and strengthen our economy. If digital mapping services have made such a difference in the last five years, we can only imagine what the next five will bring. We look forward to growing this fruitful relationship in the coming years and seeing what Google comes up with next”.

Meanwhile, Mr Dirk Friedrich said the lead product which is Street View and google map is being used by about 1 billion people worldwide monthly. “At Google we are always looking towards Nigeria, trying to make the service easier, especially, the mapping. Also, the service of mapping has reduced traffic in affected cities, created jobs among other benefits”, he said.