Diplomats across Africa and stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industry on Saturday converged on the La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort in Lagos State to declare the maiden edition of 'Ipada Carnival' open.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ipada Carnival is a cultural celebration honouring the return of people of African descent and lovers of the culture to their roots.

The carnival is to be held Nov. 29 to Dec. 8.

The nine-day carnival began in an electrifying atmosphere where the Brazilian Descendants donned their colourful carnival attire and performed to the excitement of revellers.

The carnival showcased the rich cultural heritage of Africans, featuring diverse range of activities, including traditional music and dance performances, elaborate costumes, and mouth-watering local cuisines.

Speaking, Mr Wanle Akinboboye, convener of Ipada Carnival and chief executive officer of La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, said the carnival was a form of opportunity for Africans in the diaspora to retrace their roots.

Akinboboye said the essence of this was to enable them to contribute significantly to the economic development of Africa.

"Today is all about the Ipada Carnival, the concept is all about bringing back people of African descent back to their roots.

"We have 32 million diasporans in the Caribbean, 66 million in the United States of America, 120 million in Brazil, about 9.6 million in Europe. We need to entice them back to come and add value to the entire continent of Africa."