The Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy has launched Nigeria’s first smart city and urban experience application, MyCityApp, positioning it as a one-stop digital platform for tourists and residents to discover culture, food, history and leisure spots across Nigerian cities.
The ministry said the app was designed to support innovation, connectivity, cultural preservation, exploration and information dissemination, while also enabling a more structured way for people to interact with city services.
Speaking at the launch, the Manager, Architectural Engineering, Information Technology, MTN Nigeria, Bukola Ajayi, said MyCityApp was built to create a unified data architecture that supports civic engagement and improves how citizens connect with government. She added that the application can still function even when users are offline.
“The app would bring citizens closer to the government. Citizens can report incidents or challenges.
“We plan to roll it out in the 36 states of the nation and the FCT. We intend to achieve 5 million registered users, and we intend to target 40-50 daily active users, jobs and housing listings.”
Ajayi, whose team represents MTN Nigeria as the project’s technical partner, said the success of the platform should be assessed beyond the number of downloads, stressing that its real value would be reflected in how it supports businesses and strengthens city-level participation.
“Today marks a milestone towards smarter cities and governance,” she said.
Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, described MyCityApp as more than a product launch, framing it as part of a broader national ambition to modernise tourism and elevate Nigeria’s creative economy through technology.
“The MyCityApp is not just an app, but a vision. “It transforms your phone into an encyclopedia. The initiative aligns strongly with the renewed hope Agenda of the president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu.
“One of the things we pride ourselves in is our culture, the creative industry. Nigeria is so blessed. It is not only in our culture you’ll find the diversity, even in the landscape, it’s a given beauty.”
Musawa said the platform is expected to strengthen digital inclusion, support tourism growth and create opportunities for innovation, urging Nigerians to see it as an enabling layer for city transformation rather than a simple information tool.
“Let us see it not just as an app, but as a digital infrastructure for urban transformation. We can rediscover ourselves on this app. The future of tourism is very bright,” she added.
