From Culture to Commerce: ANUFEST 2026 Sets Anambra on the Path to Tourism Renaissance
By David Okpokwasili
“What is your role in building the Anambra we want?”
This question which is intended as a call to collective investment, partnership and action was posed to investors and government, business and traditional institution leaders at a special summit that marks the official commencement of Anambra Unity Festival, ANUFEST 2026.
ANUFEST, organized by JT Play Hub, Creative Law and Intellectual Property Finance Forum, CLIFF and the Anambra State government, is a statewide celebration of the uniqueness of Anambra State through culture, tourism, sports, entertainment, enterprise, and investments.
Slated to last from Sunday 20th September – Sunday15th November, 2026, the two-month power packed festival will feature ANUFEST Open Mic, Ugokwesiri and Dike cultural reality TV show and pageant, ANUFEST Unity Cup, masquerade and food showcase, wrestling competitions, tourism sites visits, business ideation hackathon and many others.
Leading the discussion, the keynote speaker and Vice President-South East, Federation of Tourism Associations Of Nigeria, Mr Wilson Ugwu stated that no city can claim to be a metropolis and a destination hub if it has not developed its tourism and entertainment sector, underscoring the critical role ANUFEST will play in putting Anambra on the map of places people will want to visit.
Anambra State Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, Mr Udoji Amedu said ANUFEST will drive cultural and tourism renaissance in Anambra state, attract international visitors and partners, and investor with the vision targeted that by 2028, the festival will become a twelve-month, all-year round event.
On his part, the Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Authority, NTDA represented by the South East Zonal Coordinator, Mr Shaibu Ebiloma commended the Anambra State Government for adopting Public-Private-and-Community Partnership in developing the tourism sector and promised of Federal Government’s continued support.
Speaking in a opening address during the summit, the Convener of the festival, Mr Ifeanyi Eziukwu and the Legal Adviser, Mr Vitus Mbah, described tourism as the next “oil” and explained that ANUFEST is their contribution to boosting the entertainment ecosystem in Anambra.
In their goodwill messages, Former Anambra Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, Comrade Don Onyenji and the Mayor of Orumba South Local Government Area, Capt. Casmir Nwafor, said the coverage of ANUFEST which be hosted in different towns in Anambra is its uniqueness and will help showcase the different heritage and beauty of different parts of Anambra State.
The climax of the summit was the presentation of the ANUFEST 2026 insignia to some of the ambassadors of the festival: Mr Chibuike Mbah and Dr Emma Ekwunife; an avant-garde fashion show and art exhibition.
