The Cross River State Government says it is targeting more than N19 billion in economic benefits from the 2026 Carnival Calabar.

The state governor, Bassey Otu, announced this on Sunday during the flag-off of the carnival’s first dry run in Calabar.

Mr Otu, represented by Deputy Governor, Peter Odey, said the government was repositioning the festival as a major economic asset.

He said the initiative would attract tourists, support businesses, stimulate investment and showcase the state’s cultural heritage to national and international audiences.

The Chairman of the Cross River State Carnival Commission, Gab Onah, said the 2025 edition generated an estimated N19 billion in socio-economic impact.

Mr Onah said the commission was exploring strategies to surpass the figure at the 2026 edition.

He identified digitisation as one of the strategies, noting that the commission had introduced online registration and voting to deepen public participation.

He said the initiative would enable members of the public to register as carnival band members and vote for the Band of the Year.

Mr Onah also disclosed that Nigerian music star, David Adeleke, otherwise called Davido, had indicated his readiness to participate in this year’s festivities.

He added that discussions with some international participants were ongoing.

The 2026 carnival is under the theme ‘Rethinking Our Collective Destiny,’ which Mr Onah said promotes unity, inclusiveness and shared humanity.

He said the festival would provide young people with opportunities to showcase their creativity and talents while generating greater economic benefits for the state. 

(NAN)