Youth Inclusion Advisor Welcomes AHBEA Partnership To Spotlight Ekiti’s Talent, Tourism Potential
... Says Collaboration Will Rewrite Narratives For Youths After Receiving AHBEA Delegation Led by Amb. Yomi Fashlanso
Hon. Ayo Ojo, Technical Advisor (TA) on Youth Inclusion to Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, has thrown his weight behind a proposed partnership with the Afro-Heritage Broadcasting & Entertainment Awards (AHBEA), calling it a “generational opportunity” to elevate Ekiti’s youth and cultural assets on the global stage. The endorsement followed a high-level meeting in his office on Tuesday with AHBEA’s delegation, led by Ambassador Yomi Fashlanso, who formally presented plans for Ekiti to host the 2025 International Pre-Awards event.
However,the delegation was led into his office by the state Director General Bureau of Tourism Development Amb.Wale Ojo -Lanre who facilitated the meeting.
Hon. Ojo, whose office focuses on empowering young Ekiti citizens through skills development and creative industry opportunities, described the proposal as “a perfect alignment” with Governor Oyebanji’s youth-driven agenda. “When global platforms like AHBEA choose Ekiti, they’re not just celebrating stars—they’re igniting dreams in our next generation,” he stated.
The TA emphasized that partnering to host the September 2025 pre-event, which will convene African awardees and nominees, would expose local youth to role models in entertainment, tourism, and broadcasting while showcasing Ekiti’s untapped potential.
Founded in 2015 by Nigerian monarch and entertainment mogul HRM Oba Yisa ‘Sola Adeniyi Olaniyan, AHBEA has honored African luminaries across categories such asr Legendary Awards for veteran actors, Humanitarian Service recognitions, and Lifetime Achievement accolades.
He praised the awards’t mission to highlight diaspora success stories, noting, “Our youth need to see that excellence is not imported—it’s cultivated here, by people who look like them.”
The 2025 edition, with its U.S.-based main ceremony in October, will follow Ekiti’s proposed pre-event. Ojo stressed that the collaboration builds on recent engagements with key state agencies, including the Ekiti Bureau of Tourism Development, led by DG Amb. Wale Lanre Ojo, and the Bureau of Local Content, headed by DG Hon. Olalekan Ijidale. Both offices had earlier hosted the AHBEA delegation to discuss synergies between tourism infrastructure, local content policies, and youth-driven creative projects.
Amb. Fashlanso, during the meeting, reiterated AHBEA’s confidence in Ekiti’s “organic cultural wealth” and its capacity to host a continental gathering. Hon. Ojo echoed this, linked the initiative to broader state goals noting that tourism and entertainment are not just sectors rather bridges to employment, innovation and pride for the youth and state.
DG Tourism Amb. Wale Lanre Ojo the facilitator of the engagement affirmed cross-bureau support for the partnership.
The delegation moved from the office of the DG Bureau of Tourism and Development Amb.Wale OJO -Lanre to the youth rinclusion office and culminated at the office of the Director General Bureau of Local Content Hon.Lekan Ijidale further stamping inter- ministerial synergy to achieve the prosperity for all mantra of the Governor -Mr.Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji’s administration.
For Hon. Ayo Ojo, however, the focus remains laser-sharp: “This is about legacy. When the world sees Ekiti through AHBEA’s lens, they’ll see a state where tradition meets talent, and where our youth are the authors of their own futures.”
With eight editions of AHBEA already celebrating African excellence globally, Ekiti’s 2025 role could mark a turning point—not just for cultural tourism, but for a generation eager to claim its place on the world stage.
