With less than two months to the staging of the landmark IPADA Initiative/Carnival 2024, the event has continued to attract huge investments from corporations, groups and individuals from across the world.
The latest support is coming from the Vanuatu Trade Commission, which has pledged investment in the training of over five million Africans on Artificial Intelligent (AI) certification.
Just last month, AKI Lumi in partnership with the African Diaspora Central Bank (ADCB) disclosed the injection of $9 billion towards the construction of six dedicated luxury cruise ships for the project. This development was said to have a far-reaching economic impact on the much- anticipated project, Nigeria and Africa’s continent economy generally.
Now the ante has been further upped with Vanuatu Trade Commission in conjunction with the African Diaspora Central Bank (ADCB), working on an initiative that would train over five million Africans on Al within the next one year.
This newest investment on the project that is scheduled to open November 29 spanning December 8, 2024 at the multiple-awards winning African theme resort, La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Ikegun Village, Ibeju Lekki, was contained in a letter by the Commissioner of Vanuatu Trade Commission to Ghana, H. E. Amb. Prof. Dr. Hugh Aryee, to the Initiator of the IPADA Initiative, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, who is also the Founder and President of La Campagne and Motherland Beckons’ under whose auspices the initiative is being promoted.
In a formal letter to Akinboboye on the development, Aryee, noted that the multi-faceted Al project whose goal is to contribute to the development of Al related skill building efforts across Africa, is planned to stretch over a year. It is to empower Africans to share in the knowledge-based standard, that Al currently presents to the world.
The laudable knowledge-impacting training programme is for 5 million Africans over a period of one year, of which 5000 participants will be trained during the carnival, in what is tagged Business Unusual, over a three-day period, to kick start the programme.
Upon completion of the training programme, the participants will be empowered with AKL Lumi parity value of $100 and be listed on a learning management system for ongoing learning and career opportunities.
This knowledge-based skill programme is therefore set to open the entire African continent to a huge new developmental opportunity that will change the face of Africa
It is further noted that the initial training of 5, 000 participants during the IPADA Carnival will definitely set the ball rolling and open the door to more Africans to acquire Al knowledge, which ordinarily would have cost each African about $1000 to do so.
Besides this life-time benefits, other expected benefits listed stated that an after training offer to participants which enables a benefit of an interest free loan; Non-governmental organisations (NGOs and local governments will be entitled to AKL lumi parity value of half a million dollars for community development initiatives.
While the creative industry will be eligible to AKL Lumi parity value of $2m grant to produce films, music and other artworks to celebrate African heritage.
IPADA which means the return, and is already ongoing, with hundreds of visitors coming through Lagos and Abuja as the two gateways and overflowing to other Africa countries, is a platform created by Motherland Beckons to bring African people from the Diaspora and lovers of Africa to Africa, to experience the suffusing offerings of Africa through tourism, cultural exchange and business opportunities.
The IPADA Carnival is a 10-day long event that would showcase a number of masterpieces of Africa theatrics ranging from music, dance, fashion, arts, cuisine, beach polo and beach durbar to traditional wrestling.
Tourism has continued to advance economies across the world as not just the largest employer of labour but also impacted the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with countries like France recording about 150 million tourists this year alone. A figure boosted by the Paris Olympic Games.
Saudi Arabia has also leveraged on tourism, surpassing its projection of 100 tourists by 2030 this year.
Africa with over 1.5 billion population and over 200 million Africans in Diaspora, should be able to attract over 300 million tourists annually and counting. IPADA Initiative is designed therefore to help Africa explore its potential in tourism and unlock the continent.
Hence between 50 and 100 million tourists and rising to over 200 million in 2030, are projected to come through, while the economy of Nigeria and Africa, with particular reference to the rural communities, are expected to be boosted through the event that would create different businesses besides the Business Unusual component, for the local communities to explore.
Vanuatu, an island nation which comprises 83 islands in the South Pacific ocean, about 800 kilometres west of Fiji and 1, 800 kilometres east of Australia.
IPADA Initiative/Carnival 2024 is supported by the federal government of Nigeria, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the Grand Patron, Chief Host and Global Ambassador. It also enjoys the support of a number of state governments including Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti. While a number of corporate bodies including the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), which is the umbrella body for private sector tourism operators lining behind it as well.
