The Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) Nigeria has announced a strategic partnership with Tripoint Travels to host the 2026 edition of the Arewa Business Festival, scheduled to hold from November 21st to 22nd in Abuja.
The partnership was unveiled at the Arewa Business Festival reception in Lagos, convened to formally launch this year’s festival and engage partners.
According to Olayinka Oguntola, National Coordinator of GEW Nigeria, the Arewa Business Festival is a flagship entrepreneurship festival held as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), a global movement to promote entrepreneurship.
“The Arewa Festival is where we will have over 500 entrepreneurs exhibiting their products and people buying from them. Global Entrepreneurship Week is an event to promote entrepreneurship, and the Arewa Festival is also an event to promote entrepreneurship. This is why we are partnering with Tripoint Travels to bring this year’s Arewa Festival to the world,” Oguntola said.
He explained that unlike the last edition, which was decentralized across all 19 northern states, this year’s edition will be a single, consolidated festival in the Federal Capital Territory.
“Last year we had one in all 19 northern states. This year we said let’s just have it in just one state, and that will be in Abuja. Let all the vendors from all the other states, including some vendors from southern states, come and exhibit,” he said.
Oguntola noted that the partnership was driven by a shared mission to empower entrepreneurs across the country.
Speaking at the reception, Shuhda Mohammed, Convener of the Arewa Festival, said the collaboration is geared towards leveraging tourism expertise to project Nigeria positively to the world.
“We are here to bring together experts in the tourism space who understand what a festival stands for, so we can sell Nigeria together to the world,” she said.
On the decision to centralize the festival in Abuja, Mohammed explained that the model is designed to rotate between a state-wide rollout and a unified convergence.
“The model of the Arewa Festival is that we do it across all 19 states and then every other year we move it and convene in one location. This year’s location is the FCT. Considering moving vendors around due to logistics, we decided to make it one big one in the FCT where everybody will come together and celebrate,” she stated.
Describing the partnership with GEN Nigeria as “amazing,” Mohammed said GEN provides a critical pathway for Nigerian businesses to access global opportunities.
“GEN Nigeria is a platform for any Nigerian business. It is our pathway to the world. It connects Nigerians to the world, and they’ve been super supportive throughout the Arewa Festival,” she added.
According to the convener, visitors to this year’s festival will experience the entirety of northern Nigeria in one location.
“People will be visiting one location and experience the whole of northern Nigeria. People will easily learn about northern Nigeria, clear doubts with the locals, and build relationships. Businesses that wish to expand to other regions in Nigeria, especially the North, will find it invaluable,” she said.
The Arewa Festival 2025 is expected to attract entrepreneurs, investors, tourists, and culture enthusiasts from across Nigeria.
