Nigeria’s Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival ended on Saturday with organisers saying more than 50,000 fishermen took part in its signature river contest, as Kebbi State officials said an investors’ forum held alongside the event generated about $14 billion in investment commitments.
The four-day festival, staged on the Matan Fada River in Argungu town in northwest Kebbi State, is listed by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Kebbi’s deputy governor, Umar Tafida, announced that Abubakar Usman from Maiyama local government area won the grand fishing competition with a 59 kg catch, receiving 1 million naira and two new cars, according to a statement carried by Premium Times.
Abdullahi Garba from Argungu placed second with a 40 kg fish and was awarded 750,000 naira, a new car and a Hajj seat, the statement said. Two contestants jointly claimed third place with a 33 kg catch and received 1 million naira and a motorcycle each, it added.
Kebbi State’s investment promotion agency said memoranda of understanding signed during an investors’ forum around the festival had a cumulative value of about $14 billion, spanning agriculture, renewable energy, solid minerals and infrastructure.
The festival, established in 1934 to mark peace between the then Sokoto Caliphate and the Kebbi Kingdom, has become one of Nigeria’s best-known cultural events. The Matan Fada River is closed for most of the year and managed by a traditional water chief, known as the Sarkin Ruwa, who oversees conservation of fish stocks.
