The Federal Government, through the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, has projected that the proposed Annual World Orisa Congress could generate over $5 billion in revenue.
NICO revealed on Thursday that the project could attract more than one million visitors worldwide and enhance investment opportunities for Nigeria.
The World Orisa Congress aims to celebrate and unite cultural identities, particularly among Africans in the Diaspora.
The Executive Secretary of NICO, Biodun Ajiboye, stated that the project, which serves as a means of preserving Nigeria’s culture, is also driven by the need to boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product. This, in turn, would generate revenue for the government to improve the living standards of Nigerians.
Ajiboye emphasized that, given Nigeria’s pressing need to generate revenue and stimulate economic recovery, boosting foreign exchange earnings is a crucial solution.
He highlighted that cultural and ancestral convergence programs have proven to be profitable worldwide, with countries like Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, India, and China successfully drawing global audiences through such initiatives.
“Nigeria at this time is left with little or no choice but to tap into the rich cultural opportunities to become economically sustainable as a nation. This project which is also aimed at preserving and promoting Nigeria’s cultural history and heritage to the world is estimated to generate $5-6bn with Nigeria playing host to over one million visitors,” Ajiboye stated.
The NICO boss stressed that the realization of the World Orisa Congress project has become crucial in response to the long-held desires of Africans in the Diaspora, descendants of those taken from Nigeria into slavery over 500 years ago, to reconnect with their roots.
He noted that the World Orisa Congress is an affirmation of the coalescence of cultural identity with Africans in the Diaspora.
“It is an ultimate spiritual connection to all of us as a people with a common goal and destiny. There are about 500 million people across the globe who are related to the traditional religion of the African people and as devotees of different deities, they are yearning to return home.
“It is therefore the institute’s desire to tap into the vast treasure of these 500 million people of Orisa descent from Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, and other Caribbean countries to converge in their ancestral home/roots regularly. In Brazil alone, there are over 89 million people who are ready to key into this vision.
“Nigeria stands to benefit enhanced cross-cultural understanding and empathy, record an increase in global co-operation and rapprochement, tap into the huge revenue stream of almost one million visitors annually on a sustainable basis which is devolved into increasing the GDP astronomically, and establish global creativity, innovation, and progress, create sustenance of traditional rituals, sacred practices, traditional craftsmanship, oral traditions, and festive events,” he said.
