Kwara Repositions Sports For Tourism, Service Economy

The Kwara State government has announced plans to diversify its economy beyond agriculture by focusing more on sports tourism.

The chief press secretary to the state governor, Rafiu Ajakaye who  disclosed this added that significant investments in sports were  intended to complement other infrastructure developments in Ilorin, the state capital.

“The governor’s vision is to transform Kwara from its agrarian image into a service-oriented economy and sports tourism hub.The goal is for Kwara to meet the demands of the south -west, north, and north- central ,” he said.

Ajakaiye spoke  during the Kwara Closed Table Tennis Competition held at the newly constructed Table Tennis Arena at Kwara State Stadium Complex,  Ilorin.

“Governor AbdulRazaq envisions positioning Kwara to rival Dubai. He sees Kwara as an economic centre, catering to the west, north and north central regions. The investment in sports is part of a broader initiative to transform Kwara into an economic hub similar to Dubai, which thrives on its service and tourism sectors rather than oil.

“Kwara has the potential to excel in sports, with many Nigerian sports legends being Kwarans or having trained in the state. Five years ago, our infrastructure was nearly non-existent, but now we boast some of the best facilities in West Africa,” Ajakaye said.

He highlighted the significance of the Table Tennis Arena—the largest in Nigeria—as part of an evolving sports tourism destination, along with the renovation of the indoor sports hall after over 30 years.

The chairman of  Kwara Sports Commission, Bolaji Mogaji said  that the governor’s investment in sports infrastructure will soon yield benefits.

“We expect to host sports events with national and international significance in Kwara soon. The Table tennis competition was a deliberate test run for larger plans we have this month,” he said.