Enugu, November 6, 2025
The organisers of the Ezi-Aha Festival have unveiled an ambitious plan to raise over 2,000 young culture ambassadors and entrepreneurs across the South-East region by 2026, using culture as a driver for economic empowerment, creativity, and social change.
Speaking during a press briefing in Enugu, the convener of the festival, Sir Chukwuma Okeiyi, announced that the initiative will be formally launched at the 2025 Igbo Youth Culture and Tourism Entrepreneurship Conference (IYC-TEC) scheduled for November 29 in Enugu.
The conference, themed “Heritage to Enterprise: Turning Culture and Tourism into Jobs,” aims to equip young people across Igboland with practical skills that can transform their cultural identity into creative and profitable ventures.
Okeiyi explained that the festival seeks to change the mindset of young Igbos, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship through culture-based education and mentorship. He said the event will spotlight outstanding talents in arts, crafts, fashion, media, and business.
He described the Enugu 2025 conference as a “movement, vision, and mission” inspired by a deep desire to restore the pride, creativity, and enterprise of Igbo youths through culture, innovation, and tourism.
According to Okeiyi, the conference marks the beginning of a transformation journey that will tour the entire Igboland – including Abia, Imo, and Anambra States, in preparation for the grand Ezi-Aha Cultural Festival 2026 in Ebonyi State.
Highlighting the benefits of participating in IYC-TEC Enugu 2025, Okeiyi noted that it offers capacity building, skill development, networking, exposure, and access to new markets, all geared toward inspiring self-reliance.
“It is a strategic pathway to reducing youth unemployment and curbing insecurity through productive engagement and culture-driven entrepreneurship,” he said. “When young people are meaningfully engaged in creative, profitable, and socially responsible activities, the same energy that once drove restiveness becomes a force for progress and peace.”
He added that the initiative would help channel youth energy into positive community development, rekindle unity among Igbo youth, and promote partnerships for sustainable growth through culture and innovation.
On participation, the convener revealed that only 500 registered youths, both online and offline, will directly benefit from the programme, noting that registration is free.
Okeiyi further explained that the Ezi-Aha Festival, which has been held in Abuja since 2017 for various ethnic groups, would hold its 2025 edition in Enugu and the 2026 edition in Ebonyi, focusing specifically on nurturing Igbo youth talents through culture and creativity.
He called on individuals, government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and Igbos in the diaspora to collaborate with the organisers to actualise the vision.
“IYC-TEC Enugu 2025 is a call to action, a revival of purpose, and a celebration of who we truly are. The Igbo story must be told again, but this time, by the Igbo youth themselves,” Okeiyi concluded. Visit GMTNewsng for more news.
