-
Carnival Calabar reportedly generated ₦19 billion in economic activity in 2025, according to chairman Chief Gabe Onah.
-
Onah identified limited private-sector investment as a major challenge and called for businesses to play a greater role in commercialising the festival.
-
The carnival is expanding digital participation, while Cally Air plans to increase its Calabar service to three daily flight rotations from November, according to Onah.
October 18, (THEWILL) – Chief Gabe Onah, the Chairman of Carnival Calabar, has called for increased private-sector investment to expand the festival’s economic potential, following a reported ₦19 billion in economic activity last year.
Onah made the call on Sunday during the first dry run of the 2026 Carnival Calabar at Mary Slessor Roundabout, Calabar, Cross River State, identifying private investment as a major gap in efforts to build a sustainable carnival economy.
He said the festival already supports businesses across the informal sector, from food sellers and water vendors to organised traders, but greater commercial participation was needed to expand its benefits.
“Our major challenge still remains the buy-in of the private sector. The private sectohttps://www.carnival.crossriverstate.gov.ng/r must come with its entrepreneurial skills and take over. The government has done everything to provide the enabling environment”, Onah said.
The chairman said the 30-day festival village, which includes customised vendor booths provided through collaboration with Guinness, offers businesses opportunities to reach visitors during the carnival season.
However, he said the next stage of development was to draw more formal businesses into the ecosystem and improve the state’s ability to capture economic value from the festival.
READ ALSO:
Digital Platforms Open New Revenue Opportunities
Onah said digital innovation was central to the carnival’s commercial expansion, with the MyCrossRiver app and Nugi Technologies supporting efforts to widen participation.
The platforms are intended to enable users to register as band members, buy merchandise and vote for their preferred bands, including people who cannot attend physically.
He said the approach could expand the carnival’s reach beyond Calabar, improve public participation and create opportunities to generate revenue from its creative assets.
Technology, he added, should strengthen rather than replace the cultural heritage that gives the carnival its identity.
Air Connectivity And Tourism Demand
Onah also identified air connectivity as an important factor in tourism growth, saying Cally Air planned to increase its service to Calabar to three daily flight rotations from November.
He described Carnival Calabar as an experiential tourism product that attracts visitors and stimulates spending across the local economy.
According to him, the economic chain extends beyond the carnival bands to accommodation providers, food vendors, transport operators and other businesses that benefit from visitor spending.
The carnival has recorded peak participation of about 52,000 people, Onah said, although participation has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added that the event also creates opportunities for youth engagement and skills development in the creative economy, with carnival arts providing a platform for young people to participate in cultural production.
The 2026 edition is themed Rethinking Our Collective Destiny, reflecting the organisers’ emphasis on unity and shared prosperity.
For Onah, the priority is to build on the carnival’s existing economic activity by attracting investors, strengthening digital participation and creating a business model capable of sustaining the festival beyond the annual celebration.
Janefrances Ebere Chibuzor is a Tourism Writer at THEWILL
