Marketing Nigeria Through the World Cup

The National Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) is leveraging on the mundial in South Africa to take the impact of the World Cup beyond football, in its efforts to create positive image for the country. From South Africa, O’Lekan Babatunde reports on the Nigeria Village programme concluding that it’s a step in the right direction.

Keena ko in South African parlance means “It is here, feel it”. Hosting the FIFA World Cup in the former apartheid enclave and for first time on the African continent sure places the property at a vantage position where it is seen as not belonging to South Africa as the host nation alone, but to every country worth its salt within the continent.
According to the history and transition of the Mundial, it started purely as a competition to test the prowess of participating countries in the round leather game. However in 1947 in Hungary, there was new addition where countries tried to promote their image and corporate existence by latching onto the game. Thus, destination branding found its way into the beautiful game.

Leveraging the World Cup for Positive Image
Although, the main focus and glamour of the Mundial remains football, desirous nations within the confines of the hosting country – and in this case, continent – still find the opportunity to cue into the duration of the event, especially the global human traffic that follows it, to market themselves to the global audience.
This is what Nigeria as a nation is currently doing in South Africa with the intention of disabusing the minds of the global audience on any unfavourable stereotype they may have held about the nation reckoned to be the most populous black nation on earth.
Segun Runsewe, Director-General, Nigeria Tourism Development Council (NTDC), while speaking at the Nigeria Games Village located at the Zoo Lake Park , Sandton, Johannesburg, at the on-going FIFA World Cup in South Africa says the concept is in synergy with the on-going efforts at rebranding the nation. He proffers some explanations on why Nigeria has a barrage of image problems and the backlashes the country has suffered.
According to him, it has been found out that we have some of the best people in Nigeria but we have refused to celebrate ourselves and that is part of the problem. We have allowed people to speak for us and a change must start.
Continuing, he says that having traveled far and wide he has come across many people who claim to be Nigerians but truly are not Nigerians. This is possible because the average white man does not know the difference between citizens of neighbouring countries and Nigeria but the country pays a price because as the big brother of Africa , everybody hangs around her as citizens.
Claiming ownership for the idea of the Games Village , the DG says the seed was sown last year when he led a team of Nigeria’s 36 State Commissioners of Tourism to South Africa. The mission was occasioned by the need to understudy how other countries were selling their nations to the international community. “With this, the issue of the village came up”, snowballing into the Nigerian pavilion at the African Village, Sandton, Johannesburg, as an appendage of activities for the World Cup.

Positioning Nigerian Entertainment for Eco-tourism
While declaring The Nigeria Village open, Alhaji Mohammed Bio, Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, says the government is trying its best to make the performing arts industry strong enough to yield its true eco-tourism potential.
He opines that government is strengthening the institutions that will protect them, especially Nollywood, by opening the market for them; by trying to ensure that they are given the necessary prominence which they deserve in the social scheme. He adds that the village is on ground to make an impression to the whole world that Nigeria, after 50 years of independence, has arrived.
“For a start the NTDC, organizers of the Nigeria Village, has only been able to accommodate a few of the avalanche of Nollywood, comedians and music stars from the country; we cannot take all,” he said. Runsewe, therefore, charged the selected representatives to consider themselves as ambassadors of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “We have chosen just a few to come and your coming is to know that you have come to help us to portray the image of our country. This cannot be quantified in Naira and Kobo,” he asserts.
Dwelling on the fact that that the model is in compliance with globally accepted and acknowledged SWOT analyses promotional concepts, he laments “it is rather unfortunate that while other countries are discussing the opportunities, we are busy discussing our weaknesses.”
Runsewe hopes such retrogressive tendencies will henceforth cease as the Nigeria Village concept is designed to discuss in South Africa and every other place the nation’s strengths.
Speaking to the artists which include Nollywood’s Bob Manuel Udokwu, Shan George, Bimbo Akintola, Paul Adams and Segun Arinze; performing musicians such as Yinka Ayefele, Tee Mac, Sir Shina Peters, Sunny Neji, Alariwo of Africa and Yinka Davies; and stand up comedians including Gbenga Adeyinka (CFR) and MC Abbey, the DG declares: “You are our strength. You are here beyond the matches, we are here to showcase our strengths and you are one of them. Everyone expresses desire to see you. To be honest with you, we have great people great ambassadors, but we have not been celebrating them. All the acts are billed to perform and receive visitors on behalf of the nation when the stage eventually sets.”
And true to Runsewe’s words, from Pretoria to Johannesburg, everywhere, the popularity of Nigeria’s entertainment industry is not in doubt as the artistes are having a busy time shaking hands with men, hugging ladies and posing for photographs with all. These are excited fans that have watched their movies or listened to and enjoyed their music, considering it a rare privilege to meet the Nigerian stars.
While the Nigeria Village is designed to cue into the World Cup traffic, it is also located adjacent to the popular Johannesburg Zoo, a popular tourist centre in its own right. The entire African Village is a makeshift of huts but excellently and colourfully designed for culture and tourism exhibition and receiving guests with true African hospitality as well. Ghana is a close neighbour. The Nigeria area boasts of a mosque and a church, stressing the unity in diversity of the nation.

Nigeria High Commission Drums Up Support
With the positive impact in South Africa, there is perhaps a silver lining for the image renewal efforts especially as Nigeria’s 50th Independence Anniversary draws closer.
The fact is that most of the artists selected as the nation’s brand ambassadors will make an easy sell with the proper grooming and support. Many are better known than the country’s representatives in foreign countries.
For Brigadier Buba Marwa (Rtd), High Commissioner to South Africa, the concept of the Nigeria Village is another opportunity to build on the positive image the country is currently embarked on and will be a continuous exercise. To make it successful, the High Commission is reaching out to the various communities of Nigerian professionals in South Africa as well as the international community to create a positive image for the nation. “We expect them to be here. We have musicians; Nollywood actors and actresses they would never have dreamt of seeing are all here. They can interact with them considering the range of activities that have been lined up for them. We will mobilize and then you will see what will happen in the next couple of days,” Marwa tells the audience including the media and Super Eagles Supporters Club, led by its president Dr. Rauf Ladipo.
Speaking at the village, Marwa discloses that there are about 200,000 Nigerians in South Africa and confirms that bilateral trade between the two countries is tilted in favour of Nigeria, all thanks to crude oil.

Low Presence of Corporate Nigeria in South Africa
Despite popular belief in Nigeria that the South African authorities are reluctant to open their doors to Nigerian businesses, some gaping opportunities have been left unexplored. For instance, First Bank, Union and Zenith banks have country offices in South Africa approved for retail banking but appear not to have seized the opportunities. What could be reason for this?
According to Marwa, “banks here are huge and massive, and the investment to compete by our banks to make it happen in this market may just not be there.  I think our banks find it’s not going to make money for them. When you consider the construction industry for instance, can you ask Nigerian companies to come and build roads here? They will not succeed. Or to build hotels here? They may not succeed. It is a relative thing but having said that, there are other areas that we are excelling in.
“In the service industry and a few others like real estate, we are doing well but still it is an on-going enterprise. We will continue to ask for more doors to be opened to us.”

Logjams in the Wheels of Progress
But as usual, the last minute preparation is already having its toll on the project as the programme is running behind schedule. Up until the 5th day following the commencement of the World Cup, activities were yet to fully take off in the village, no thanks to logistic challenges.
The slow start may haunt the programme as early visitors who did not have much to see may not willingly make a second trip. Also, fans whose teams did not succeed into the second round of games may leave the country immediately, reducing the number of potential visitors.
Another area that was not fully harnessed is the great display of nationalism by South African ladies married to Nigerian professionals. On the Friday preceding the opening of the games, this group turned out in unique tee-shirts bearing the inscription, “I am not Igbo, I am not Yoruba, I am not Hausa. I am a Nigerian”. While this bridges divisive tendencies, modalities for selecting artists on the trip have raised many questions.
However, NTDC and its partners, with support from the High Commission, can still garner a lot for the nation if many of the tourists present can be guided to the choice venue of the Nigeria Village . This is where the power of Nigerian entertainment must come into play to draw positive global attention and fuel the image building process. It can still be Ayoba for the Nigerian nation.