Build the Roots Tourism Programme That Brings the African Diaspora Home to Nigeria

Ghana's Year of Return initiative generated over $1 billion in tourism revenue and transformed international perception of the country. Nigeria — with an estimated 40 million people of Yoruba, Igbo, and other Nigerian descent in the diaspora — has almost no comparable roots tourism programme. The diaspora comes to Lagos for weddings and Christmas but has no structured experience that helps them connect with heritage, community, and economic opportunity. Your challenge is to design a Nigerian roots tourism programme targeting second and third-generation diaspora from the US, UK, and the Caribbean. The programme must offer immersive, credible heritage experiences (not superficial cultural tourism), create economic linkages between diaspora visitors and local communities, and be commercially viable without perpetual government subsidy. Submit a programme design document (max 12 pages) including: the diaspora audience and their specific needs, the experience design (itinerary, activities, communities visited), the local community economic model, how the programme is branded and marketed in diaspora communities, pricing model, and a plan to bring 5,000 diaspora visitors per year within 18 months of launch. Judging criteria: 35% experience design authenticity and quality, 30% diaspora marketing and targeting, 20% local community economic model, 15% commercial viability.