UYO, Nigeria – In alignment with World Tourism Day 2025, Akwa Ibom State is launching the pioneering #BANTU EKPANG! KUKWO CARNIVAL, also known as the AkwaIbom ChopKulture Festival. This initiative boldly positions cultural heritage as a core strategy for sustainable development.Far more than a food showcase, the Carnival is a comprehensive heritage economy model. It celebrates the unique culinary identity of all 31 Local Government Areas (LGAs), transforming food from a cultural artifact into an engine for unity, humanitarian aid, creative economy expansion, and climate resilience.
Anchored in a ₦30 billion heritage food tourism marketplace, the Carnival is a live demonstration of systemic change. Key impacts include:
· Mobilizing 3.1 million “Foodmanitarian Kits” and ChopKulture Mobile Tokens to link food heritage with humanitarian relief, delivering food packs, health wallets, and eco-contributions.
· Empowering 3,100 ChopKulture Envoys and 3,100 Food2rybe Mobile Brands to serve as ambassadors and scale heritage food entrepreneurship.
· Restoring 3.1 million trees and mangroves through the Chop2Green Fund, directly connecting tourism to ecosystem regeneration.
Victor Wilkinson Agih, CEO Culture Money Africa and Global Culture Diplomacy Expert, stated, “With the Bantu Ekpang! Kukwo Carnival, food becomes an economic engine of growth, leveraging the eco-heritage currency for shared prosperity, peace, and planet.”
Hon Inemeh Etete Patty, Program Coordinator, added, “We are building futures from every heritage pot. This is not just celebration; it is about creating opportunities and uniting communities. Food is our heritage, but now it is also our development strategy.”
Aligned with the World Tourism Day agenda, Akwa Ibom is proving that food is not only to be savored, but strategically scaled as a powerful driver of sustainable transformation.
About the AkwaIbom ChopKulture Festival:
The BANTU EKPANG!KUKWO CARNIVAL is Akwa Ibom State’s blueprint for a Heritage Food Economy Strategy. It integrates cultural identity into governance, investment, climate action, and humanitarian response, declaring that food is the future.
