LAGOS – Ahead of IPADA Initiative/Carnival 2024, the dream of the project initiator, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, of having the descendants of Africans that were taken on slave ships from Africa to Europe and the Caribbean, return to their ancestral home on modern and luxury cruise ships, has finally gained traction, with the injection of $9 billion by AKL Lumi to construct dedicated luxury cruise ships for the project. This significant financial injection, aimed at promoting tourism and strengthening economic ties with the African Diaspora, marks a new era for Nigeria and Africa as a whole. The integration of AKL Lumi, the African Diaspora Central Bank’s (ADCB) regional currency, into this initiative, underscores the far-reaching economic impact that this project will have on Nigeria and the broader continent.
The official launch of the IPADA Initiative, slated for November 29 to December 8, 2024, is being commended as a transformative moment for Africa. The event, which will be hosted at the multiple-awards winning African themed La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort in Lagos, promises to attract heads of state and high-level dignitaries from across Africa, and notable figures from the global African Diaspora. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is also the Chairman of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), is the Grand Patron, and Chief Host and Global Ambassador of this historic initiative that is expected to make the difference in the deve.
