News
FROM POP-UP TO THE MAIN EVENT: JOS FOOD FESTIVAL 2026 BUILDS TOWARDS DECEMBER
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The road to Jos Food Festival 2026 has already begun.
With the Festival scheduled for 18–20 December at Nirvana Park & Gardens, Jos, organizers are using a series of food, cultural and community experiences to build towards an edition themed “This Is Plateau.”
Produced by the CHEF ELVIS Company, the Festival is being developed as a three-day experience combining food, entertainment, culture, fashion, tourism, enterprise, creativity and brand experiences.
One of the most significant elements is The Season, a proposed 72-hour Nigerian-style shawarma record bid involving the continuous preparation and serving of 3,000 shawarmas.
The Season is expected to operate throughout the Festival, bringing together chefs, production teams, volunteers, partners and guests in a live culinary production.
The project is currently being developed with operational systems covering food preparation, food safety, staffing, logistics, documentation and quality control, alongside relevant technical and professional validation processes.
Before December, however, the team has been using smaller activations to introduce the concept and test different elements of the experience.
A recent Shawarma Pop-Up in Jos welcomed 1,304 guests, with 533 customers served, giving the team an opportunity to observe public response and test aspects of production and operations.
Another planned layer of the campaign is Dress Code: Plateau, a cultural and fashion activation inviting participants to interpret Plateau identity through traditional and contemporary fashion, photography, content and storytelling.
These experiences form part of a broader strategy to introduce the Festival gradually, allowing different aspects of its identity to reach audiences before the December event.
At the Festival itself, audiences can expect a culinary programme spanning indigenous Plateau dishes, traditional meals, grills, fried foods, pastries, small chops, contemporary meals and modern street-food concepts.
The wider programme will include music, entertainment, games, fashion, cultural storytelling, creator experiences and brand activations.
Local restaurants, food entrepreneurs and emerging brands will also have opportunities to connect directly with audiences and showcase their products.
For Festival Director Chef Elvis Katlong Henry, the activities leading to December are ultimately about creating a larger platform for Plateau.
“The world-record ambition may attract attention, but Plateau is the story. We want people to experience our food, our people, our creativity, our hospitality and the energy that makes Jos different. This Is Plateau is our way of putting all of that in one place.”
By December, the different pieces will come together at Nirvana Park & Gardens.
Three days.
One Festival.
One central idea:
This Is Plateau.
Event: Jos Food Festival 2026
Theme: This Is Plateau
Dates: 18–20 December 2026
Venue: Nirvana Park & Gardens, Jos, Plateau State
Major Experience: The Season — proposed 72-hour Nigerian-style shawarma record bid
News
From Super-Sub to World Cup Superstar! Kanyinsola Yusuf Wins FIFA Player of the Match as Flamingos Stun North Korea 3-1
Nigeria’s teenage sensation Kanyinsola Yusuf has emerged as one of the standout performers at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco after winning the Player of the Match award in the Flamingos’ sensational 3-1 victory over defending champions North Korea on Friday.
The prestigious individual recognition crowned an unforgettable afternoon for Yusuf, whose second-half goal helped Nigeria dismantle the tournament favourites and secure a place in the Round of 16.
Yusuf struck in the 56th minute to give Nigeria a commanding three-goal advantage, completing a remarkable attacking display against opponents who had scored 12 goals in their opening two group matches.
Oluwakemi Adegbuyi had opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Oluebube Umejiaku doubled Nigeria’s lead in the 38th minute, leaving the defending champions stunned at half-time.
North Korea pulled a goal back through Yu Jong Hyang’s 82nd-minute penalty, but the Flamingos held firm to record a famous victory.
For Yusuf, the individual honour represents another significant moment in a rapidly developing World Cup campaign.
The youngster had already made an impact in Nigeria’s opening 2-1 defeat to Poland, coming off the bench and helping spark a late fightback, before playing her part in the team’s recovery.
Her emergence adds another exciting dimension to coach Akeem Busari’s squad, which has transformed its fortunes after beginning the tournament with defeat.
Nigeria followed that setback with a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico before producing Friday’s stunning performance against the reigning champions.
Yusuf’s award also means Nigerian players have claimed the Player of the Match prize in consecutive victories, following Adegbuyi’s recognition against Puerto Rico.
With the Flamingos now through to the knockout stage, Yusuf’s growing influence could prove crucial as Nigeria chase a historic first title.
From an impact substitute against Poland to a match-winning star against North Korea, Yusuf is rapidly making her name on the world stage.
The Bank of Industry (BOI) said it will expand financing for agriculture, local healthcare manufacturing and digital businesses in 2027.
The bank stated this as it seeks to consolidate the gains of its 2025–2027 corporate strategy and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial development.
The bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Olasupo Olusi, disclosed the plan on Thursday at a meeting in Lagos, where he outlined the bank’s priorities for the final year of the strategy.
Mr Olusi said BOI would work with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment on the National Industrial Finance Compact to attract more long-term capital into Nigeria’s industrial sector.
He also said the bank would deploy its new European Investment Bank facilities to agriculture and local healthcare manufacturing to increase domestic production of food and medicines.
The funding includes €85 million secured from the European Investment Bank for agriculture and another €50 million for healthcare manufacturing in 2026, as part of more than €2.2 billion in new funding the bank has secured for Nigerian industry since 2024.
READ ALSO: BOI supports 1.68m jobs as lending rises 26% to ₦644.9 billion
“We will deploy our new European Investment Bank facilities into agriculture and local healthcare manufacturing, so that Nigeria produces more of the food and medicines it consumes,” he said.
The bank also plans to expand its information and communications technology (ICT) and digital economy portfolio through the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme.
Mr Olusi said the initiatives formed part of the bank’s efforts to consolidate its achievements and meet the targets of its 2025–2027 corporate strategy.
“2027 is the final year of our strategy, and our task is to consolidate and meet every target we set,” the BOI boss, Mr Olusi, said.
BOI said it disbursed N644.9 billion in 2025, reaching 12,501 businesses and supporting 1.68 million jobs.
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