Oyo State Government has finalised plans to export Aso Ofi local fabric as part of efforts to increase its internally generated revenue, IGR.
The government said the fabric’s vast tourism potential would be explored to shore up its dwindling revenue. The fabric, which is sourced majorly from Iseyi area of Oyo State, is said be of high demand in Europe and other parts of the world.
Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism Toye Arulogun said this in a chat with The Nation in his office. He added that the government has started looking inward for revenue generation.
According to the commissioner, the World Tourism Day, on September 27, will be used to celebrate Aso Ofi. He said the purpose of the celebration is to promote the culture of the people, and create awareness on the potential of Aso Ofi to foreign investors.
He said foreign partners as well as top traditional rulers and government officials are among dignitaries expected at the festival.
Arulogun explained that government is also looking into other tourism sites in the state and had invited private partners to develop the sites to international standards.
At the Aso Ofi festival, he noted, the government will assemble over 1,000 producers to showcase the production process to foreign partners, and seek modern technology for large-scale production.
