Ofala and Globacom: As Nigeria grapples with the urgent task of diversifying its economy, the intersection of culture and technology points the way forward because the huge potentials of the tourism sector magnified by the skilful deployment of cutting-edge technology and the positive impact it can have on any economy cannot be over-emphasized…. But this is hardly surprising for a festival championed by one of Nigeria’s most digitally-savvy monarchs, who is also a public relations aficionado, and sponsored by the digital solutions giant, Globacom – a perfect intersection of culture and technology.
By Ikechukwu Amaechi
On October 1, I received two text messages from the Obi of Onitsha. The first, a well-designed card inviting me to the 2025 Ofala Festival, read: It is the wish of His Majesty Nnaemeka Achebe CFR, mni, Obi of Onitsha, Agbogidi that you be invited to his 2025 Ofala Festival at Ime-Obi Onitsha.”
The second message was an explanatory note. “Kindly accept the soft copy of the Ofala Onicha invitation. It is expeditious, inexpensive, easy to hold on your hand device, and environment friendly. Sincere regards. Agbogidi.”
I smiled. That was quintessential Agbogidi, a man of culture, tradition and élan, who is up-to-the-minute, suave and impeccably urbane, being ever meticulous. The messages didn’t come as a surprise as they have become an annual ritual in recent times.
But on Sunday, October 5, I received another message from Chief Zik C. Obi II, son of Chief Z. C. Obi, President of the famous Igbo State Union, an illustrious son of Nnewi, erudite lawyer and former President of Otu Oka Iwu, announcing that this year’s Ofala festivities will be broadcast globally in real time.
The card, proclaiming the good news with the theme of this year’s Ofala – Njiko na Ntachi (Unity and Perseverance), had an accompanying message: “We have brought Ofala closer to you! Whether you’re in Onitsha or around the world, the Ofala app brings the festival to you.” This, no doubt, is a huge innovation. You don’t need to be physically present in Onitsha to be part of the 2025 Ofala celebrations. A download of the Ofala Onitsha mobile app either on Google Play of IOS: App Store will do the magic.
But this is hardly surprising for a festival championed by one of Nigeria’s most digitally-savvy monarchs, who is also a public relations aficionado, and sponsored by the digital solutions giant, Globacom – a perfect intersection of culture and technology.
Igwe Achebe ascended the throne of his fathers on May 14, 2002 when he succeeded Obi Okechukwu Okagbue. In Onitsha folklore, the Obi is not crowned, he emerges. And since his emergence, he has taken Onitsha to a dizzying height through cultural renaissance. The 2025 Ofala festival promises to be another regal outing for the 84-year-old monarch, a trustee of the National Traditional Rulers Council. Before he ascended the throne in 2002 as the 21st Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Achebe, who holds degrees from the prestigious Stanford and Columbia Universities, was an executive of the oil giant – Royal Dutch Shell.
The Ofala marks the end of a week-long seclusion when the Obi remains incommunicado and undergoes spiritual purification for the good of the community. In essence, the festival represents community unity, royalty, spirituality, and continuity of traditions.
Though the festival dates back to the 16th century, in the 23 years of his kingship, Igwe Achebe has enhanced its stature and relevance with his urbanity and Globacom’s sponsorship since 2011 has consolidated the gains, thus elevating the festival to a global phenomenon. That marriage has transformed the Ofala into a huge tourism spectacle by introducing several innovations that promote brand visibility, audience engagement, and cultural promotion.
For instance, the Oreze International Arts Exhibition, which was introduced in 2012 has so far led to the exhibition of the works of over 5,000 artists at the annual event. In recent times, the Ofala attracts over 500,000 visitors annually and reaches more than 10 million people through extensive media coverage.
With the technological innovations introduced this year, distance will no longer be a barrier. The global audience will participate in real time in all the activities, including the lecture on October 7 and Oreze Art Exhibition – a showcase of paintings, sculptures, and ceramics featuring works by Nigerian and African artists; Ofala Youth Carnival, a medical, health, and wellbeing community outreach programme on October 15; Iru Ofala on October 17, Azu Ofala on October 18; and a royal banquet to be hosted in honour of Agbogidi on October 22.
All these festivities will be brought live to the living rooms of a global audience, thereby hoisting the Ofala flag on the totem pole of excellence. Enamoured with the huge milestones the partnership between the Onitsha royalty and Globacom has recorded in the last 14 years, the digital solutions provider signed a new memorandum of understanding with the Palace on Thursday, September 25, renewing sponsorship for another three years.
That is a reaffirmation of faith in a festival that is not only a celebration of one of Nigeria’s rich cultural heritages but a potential money-spinner for the country through tourism. Globacom admitted that much at the sponsorship renewal forum where it disclosed that it had supported the event since 2011 because of its faith in the nation’s huge cultural heritage and its potential to create employment and boost revenue generation.
That is the crux of the matter. Taking the festival to the global stage is the pathway to that envisaged height.
Of course, tourism matters. For most countries, the industry is edging out other sectors as the major revenue earner. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) disclosed recently that the United States earned an unprecedented $2.36 trillion from tourism in 2024. But the U.S. is not alone. China’s economy had 7.3 per cent of the 2024 GDP from tourism. That translated to $1.387 trillion in its overall 2024 GDP worth $19 trillion.
The significance of this becomes starker given the fact that monies accruing to Chinese coffers from tourism alone is more than twice the entire GDP of ECOWAS which stood at $633 billion in 2022 and more than the net income of $121.3 billion that Saudi Aramco reported in 2023 as the earnings of Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest producer of crude oil. It is also not surprising that in 2024, tourism employment in China rose to approximately 77.47 million people, accounting for 10.6 per cent of the country’s total employment.
But the fact that China’s tourism industry is growing faster than the overall economy is not by happenstance. It is the consequential outcome of deliberate, technology-driven measures with evolving digital integration, niche tourism services and policy-driven expansions particularly in cultural tourism.
Globacom thinks Nigeria can attain the same height using cultural tourism such as Ofala festival as the linchpin. And its optimism is buoyed by the positive developments already taking place in the industry.
Illustrating its optimism with statistics, the company stated: “In 2025, Nigeria’s tourism sector is projected to contribute ₦11.2 trillion to GDP, up from about ₦10.9 trillion in 2024. Domestic tourism expenditure is also expected to be around ₦6.1 trillion, while international visitor spending is forecast at about ₦803.2 billion. These figures show not only recovery from the disruptions of recent years, but strong growth. They underscore a simple truth: culture and tourism are not luxuries, they are vital to our economy, our identity, and our future.”
In essence, what Globacom, which says its sponsorship of the festival since 2011 is grounded in the philosophy that “festivals are not just culture on display; they are engines of identity, creativity, commerce, and tourism,” is doing mirrors what the Chinese are doing with their tourism industry: marriage of culture and technology in the firm belief that tradition and innovation are not strange bedfellows.
As Nigeria grapples with the urgent task of diversifying its economy, the intersection of culture and technology points the way forward because the huge potentials of the tourism sector magnified by the skilful deployment of cutting-edge technology and the positive impact it can have on any economy cannot be over-emphasized.
As Onitsha indigenes eagerly await the emergence of Agbogidi from his seclusion with blessings from the ancestors not just for them but the entire country, and as Globacom waits in the wings to bring the momentous event to the whole world, Ofala festival will only get more magnificent and robust, and Nigeria’s economy will be better for it.
