‎A food festival can bring together different regional cuisines, ingredients, and culinary methods from across a continent, revealing the richness and variety of the shared gastronomic landscape. When well organised and implemented, such an event can offer a comprehensive culinary map of a region by acting as a cultural showcase, economic driver, and platform for culinary diplomacy and exchange.
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‎Committed to celebrating Africa’s shared culinary heritage while also encouraging the innovation and adaptation needed to keep its gastronomic traditions relevant in a modern, globalised world, Firewood Rice Nigeria, a Lagos-based foodtech startup, has expressed readiness to organise its Firewood Jollof Festival 2.0. This year’s event promised to pull together 20,000 food lovers, chefs, and culture enthusiasts on Saturday, 29 November 2025, at Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, Lagos.
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‎According to the organisers, this year’s theme, “Unifying African Jollof,” was inspired by the need to create a unifying identity for the continent, with a focus on West Africa.
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‎Building on the success of the maiden edition, which hosted over 10,000 guests, including Hilder Baci, the Guinness World Record Holder and Sisi Yemmie, a popular food blogger, the 2.0 edition seeks to double attendance while expanding its cultural scope.
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‎This year’s event, powered by Access Bank Plc and supported by Devon Kings, MTN Nigeria, and Nestlé Pure Life, will kick off from 10 a.m. and end by 10 p.m.
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‎Commenting, Chizoma Chukwueke, CEO of Firewood Rice Nigeria, said the festival is about preserving Africa’s cultural heritage and the traditional way of cooking jollof rice from going extinct. She pointed out that the goal is to create a “single, generally accepted recipe” that shows Africa’s diversity while strengthening its unity. She mentioned that the festival’s expansion plans will transcend Nigeria, Africa and might be exported overseas, with a focus on London in the future.
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‎“Yes, so we’re going to be working with chefs this year from the African countries because we’re going to say we’re creating something called West African Jollof,” she said.
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‎Also commenting, Chibuzor Chukwueke, marketing director of Firewood Rice Nigeria, described this year’s target as ambitious but achievable.
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‎“We had over 10,000 people coming to the festival last year, and we’re hoping to double that number this year,” he said.
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‎Sayo Akinwotu, Head of Regional Operations, stated that, beyond food, Nigerian and African fashion and music will be featured at the ​festival, using the event as a launchpad to showcase the rich culture of the continent to the world.
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‎The organisers noted that Firewood Jollof Festival 2.0 will not only highlight a traditional method but a modern twist on a staple like jollof rice, which will help to build a sense of shared identity among Africans. The festival promised to create an environment for the transmission of recipes and cooking techniques.
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‎In addition to fostering cultural exchange and pride, the event will also drive gastronomy tourism and economic growth by attracting both domestic and international visitors, especially Nigerians in Diaspora who would be on festive holiday.