About “Jollof Wars” during IATF2023 in Egypt

Story.Mohammed A. Abu

A subtly spiced and smoky version of Ghana’s jollof rice prepared by Ghanaian Executive Chef Mr. Dediha George, gave him a win over his Senegalese Chef Mr. Abdoulaye Tamsir Ndir, and Nigerian Chef Mrs. Moyosoreoluwa Odunfa contestants.

This was within the context of The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)’s launch of an African Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Programme under its Creative Africa Nexus Initiative (CANEX) as one of the major outcomes of its recently ended 3^rd Intra African Trade Summit(IATF2023) in Cairo,Egypt.

The CANEX African Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Programme is the newest vertical within the CANEX programme and featured nine celebrity chefs from Africa and the Caribbean taking part in masterclasses, live cooking demonstrations and conversations with culinary experts.

The inaugural session of the programme, concluded with a live demonstration, dubbed the “Jollof Wars” to highlight the unique flavours and cultural diversity of Jollof rice among Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal

Delegates at the IATF2023 found themselves amidst a delightful culinary celebration, organized by CANEX and African Food Changemakers, and today’s spotlight was on the iconic Jollof rice—a dish that sparks the famous “Jollof Wars” between Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal among other West African countries.

The chefs behind these delectable creations included Ghanaian Executive Chef Mr. Dediha George, Senegalese Chef Mr. Abdoulaye Tamsir Ndir, and Nigerian Chef Mrs. Moyosoreoluwa Odunfa.