As countdown to the Ipada Initiative and Ipada Carnival 2024 gathers speed, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will host an historic Presidential briefing for Africa ambassadors in Nigeria. It is billed to hold on September 19 at the Presidential Banquet Hall of Aso Villa, Abuja.

This is coming on the heels of the two days sessions held last week at La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, venue of the carnival, with the Minister of Tourism, commissioners of tourism from across the country, permanent secretaries, directors of tourism, director generals and managers of state tourism boards and agencies alongside relevant stakeholders in attendance.

The team toured the resort and facilities dedicated for the Ipada Carnival 2024, with Otunba Wanle Akinboboye briefing them on preparations for the event. At the end of the two days gathering, the team endorsed and gave full support to the event, declaring the readiness of the organisers to host the global event while commending Akinboboye and the Minister of Tourism, Mrs Lola Ade-John, for the partnership.

This will be the first time for the President to host all envoys from Africa, with the specific purpose of briefing them on one event. This time, it is on the ongoing Ipada Initiative and Ipada Carnival 2024, which is schedule to hold in the country between November 29 and December 8, 2024.

The briefing is consequent on the President’s function as the Chief Host, Grand Patron and Chief Global Ambassador of the event. It would be recalled that last month the President formally confirmed his attendance at the event, which will hold in the multiple-awards winning African themed resort, La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort in Ikegun Village, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos.

Shortly after the confirmation of his presence at the event, the President, again, in a letter dated August 9, through his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, declared himself as the Grand Patron and Chief Global Ambassador for the event.

This is as he stated; ‘‘His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has confirmed his attendance for the Ipada Carnival event as the Chief Host.’’

He then further disclosed that President Tinubu; ‘‘has graciously accepted the roles of being the Grand Patron and Chief Global Ambassador of the Carnival and Ipada Initiative.’’

It is in furtherance of these roles that the President will host the African envoys to drum support for the special cultural tourism event that is expected to boost not only Nigerian tourism but African tourism market in general.

This move, which is seen as part of achieving the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President of improving Nigeria’s economy by focusing on tourism, is a historic one, as it would be the first time in the annals of Nigeria’s cultural tourism that a sitting President would not only throw his full weight and that of the federal government behind a private initiative, geared at promoting the sector, country and the continent, but also personally serving as a rallying point as both the Chief Host and Global Ambassador.

Ipada (The return to the Motherland) Initiative is a Motherland Beckons’ activation by Akinboboye in collaboration with the federal Ministry of Tourism that is designed to ignite mass movement of Africans in the Diaspora to Africa – Motherland – using Lagos as a gateway to other parts of Africa.

It should be noted that Ipada Initiative is already ongoing, with countless number of tourists touching down weekly at the multiple-awards winning African themed resort and overflowing to several other hotels in the country.

While Ipada Carnival 2024 would be the biggest ever assemblage of African cultural, arts, fashion, musical concerts and potpourri of entertainment. Both events are expected to attract between five million and 10 million tourists inflow to Nigeria and other African countries on an annual basis.

The 10-day event will offer a memorable platform for tourists, both business and leisure travellers, to explore the abundant and colourful cultural experience that would be uniquely curated for them, and business opportunities in Africa through the Business Unusual programme, which entails a number of activations.

The President has earlier mandated the Minister of Tourism, Mrs Lola Ade-John, to mobilise all government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies, state and local governments to participate in the event because of its benefit to the nation.

Lagos, Ekiti, and Ondo states governments are among those that have endorsed the project and declared their support for it.