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AfCFTA Forum & Festival: Ghana Readies to Host “Creatives Connect Afrika” at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, in partnership with the Government of Ghana and Africa Tourism Partners, is set to launch a defining moment for the continent’s creative economy as it hosts the inaugural AfCFTA Forum and Festival on Tourism, Creative, and Cultural Industries, branded Creatives Connect Afrika.
The event will take place from Monday, November 24 to Wednesday, November 26, 2025, at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, Ghana.
Held under the auspices of John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, and the leadership of Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, the forum is designed to strategically transition Africa’s creative sector, particularly Film, Music, and Fashion industries from cultural forces into high-value pillars of continental trade and investment.
The Tripartite Partnership: Architects of Continental Integration
The “Creatives Connect Afrika” forum is underpinned by a powerful three-way partnership, each organisation contributing a vital element to the event’s success:
The AfCFTA Secretariat functions as the project’s policy engine, leveraging its position as the custodian of the continent’s single market to integrate the creative industries into the formal trade architecture.
Its core mandate is to operationalise key protocols – such as those on Trade in Services, IPR, and Digital Trade – to dismantle existing cross-border barriers and provide the structural foundation for the estimated $50 billion creative sector to become a core driver of Africa’s industrialisation.
The Black Star Experience (BSE) Secretariat serves as the national anchor and cultural champion, confirming the Government of Ghana’s deep commitment to the sector.
This flagship initiative, with a vision to Transform Ghana into Africa’s Culture Capital and inject US$5 billion into the economy by 2027, ensures the continental dialogue is rooted in a dedicated national framework. The BSE’s co-hosting role guarantees that the forum’s outcomes directly support Ghana’s strategy to generate jobs and global influence through three of its cultural pillars – Film, Music, and Fashion.
Africa Tourism Partners (ATP) acts as the strategic and commercial facilitator, specializing in investment promotion and business events (MICE). ATP’s primary role is to ensure the forum operates as a viable tourism and investment marketplace by designing the high-impact Business-to-Business (B2B) and Matchmaking Sessions.
They establish the necessary commercial infrastructure, utilising tourism to foster a synergy between travel and commerce that accelerates continental deals for creative entrepreneurs.
AfCFTA: Policy Meets Prosperity
For the AfCFTA Secretariat, the Forum provides a crucial platform to operationalise the agreement’s protocols, particularly on Trade in Services, Investment, and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
Mrs. Emily Mburu-Ndoria, Director, Trade in Services, Investment, Intellectual Property Rights and Digital Trade at the AfCFTA Secretariat, has been instrumental in working with the government and private sector partners to organise the maiden edition of the continent-wide event in Ghana.
“For too long, the immense cultural value created in Lagos, Dakar, Nairobi, and Cairo has struggled to traverse African borders due to fragmented policies and prohibitive laws and regulations,” explained Ms. Mburu-Ndoria. “
Creatives Connect Afrika is the intervention point. It is where policymakers and creatives sit down to unlock movement and mobility for artists, and establish financial instruments that understand and invest in creative intellectual property.” She commended Ghana for partnering the AfCFTA Secretariat to host this very important event.
A Presidential Mandate for Creative Trade
The co-hosting role by Ghana, facilitated through the Black Star Experience Secretariat, confirms the national priority placed on the creative economy.
Mr. Rex Owusu Marfo (Rex Omar), the Presidential Staffer for The Black Star Experience Secretariat at the Office of the President, confirmed the national commitment to turning cultural influence into economic reality, noting the collaborative efforts by his office, the AfCFTA Secretariat and the Africa Tourism Partners to bring this maiden edition of the Creatives Connect Africa to life.
“The Black Star Experience is a deliberate strategy to position Ghana as the continent’s leading creative and cultural hub. Creatives Connect Afrika, hosted in collaboration with the AfCFTA, and ATP allows us to take this vision continental,” stated Mr. Owusu Marfo.
He added, “Our youth are generating globally dominant cultural exports.
Our duty now is to provide the continental policy plumbing and financial structures necessary for these creators to trade seamlessly across Africa’s 1.4 billion-person market.”
Tourism as the Gateway to Trade
The third partner, Africa Tourism Partners (ATP), views the festival as the perfect synergy between travel, tourism, heritage, and commerce.
Mr. Kwakye Donkor, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Africa Tourism Partners, noted how the event will use tourism infrastructure to facilitate creative trade.
“Tourism is the most immediate way to monetize cultural experiences. By integrating the Forum with a high-calibre Festival, we are creating a reason for investors, buyers, and general travellers to come to Ghana and spend,” said Mr. Donkor. “We are building the travel and logistics pipeline necessary to support the creative value chain.”
Forum and Festival Programme Overview
The three-day Creatives Connect Afrika Forum and Festival features a rich blend of masterclasses, policy dialogues, business matchmaking, and cultural showcases. Day One is dedicated to industry-led Masterclasses in Film, Fashion, Music, and Fintech, delivered by leading experts from across Africa. Sessions focus on strengthening the creative value chain, intellectual property, digital distribution, financing, and intra-African market access under the AfCFTA.
Day Two features the Official Opening Ceremony, with keynote addresses from high-level dignitaries including the His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, and His Excellency Wamkele Mene.
The day continues with thought-leadership panels on expanding Africa’s creative economy through tourism, digital innovation, and policy alignment. It also includes film screenings, cultural performances, and expert dialogues on unlocking investment opportunities in Film, Fashion, and Music.
The entire programme is designed to merge policy, commerce, and culture – connecting creatives, investors, policymakers, and industry leaders to drive trade, mobility, and economic growth across Africa’s creative and cultural industries.
The cultural centrepiece of the event includes the Creatives Connect Afrika Runway, a premium showcase for African fashion designers, and the grand finale Cultural Night & Musical Festival, where attendees are encouraged to wear traditional attire for an evening of electrifying performances to take place at the +233 Jazz Club in Accra.
Creatives Connect Afrika is positioned not just as a festival, but as the inaugural continental policy and marketplace platform designed to unlock the economic potential of Africa’s creative industries.
MR Samuel Yao Atidzah, the Executive Director of GOSANET Foundation, has stated that HIV does not define a person, but “dignity, respect and love do.”
He reminded Ghanaians that no one should face discrimination because of his or her HIV status.
Mr Atidzah said this in a statement in Ho of the Volta Region to commemorate World Zero Discrimination Day.
The Day was initiated by UNAIDS in 2014 and celebrated annually on March 1 by the UN and other Organisations to promote equality, inclusion, and peace for everyone regardless of age, gender, race, or sexual orientation.
It highlights the need to end discrimination laws and actions, particularly regarding HIV/AIDS stigma.
This year’s day is on the theme: ‘People first: Standing united for dignity, equality and inclusion.’
Mr Atidzah urged all to stand together to end stigma and discrimination and promote inclusion, support People Living with AIDS in their communities.
“We have often been quick in judging people just because he or she has contracted the HIV virus; we’re in a haste to brand them as people lacking dignity.”
“We must also not lose sight of the fact that it is not every patient that attract the disease from sexual inter-course. There are those that were born with it and those who were cut by affected by objects,” he explained.
He advised all to know their status through HIV Self-testing kits, adding “it is private, confidential, safe and empowering.”
The Executive Director urged both young and old that taking charge of their health was a sign of strength and not shame.
“I urge all and sundry to get tested now, know your status, protect yourself and protect others,” he noted. –GNA
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THREE inter-related books chronicling the political history of Ghana’s Heads of State are set to be launched this month.
The books offers readers an in-depth account of the country’s constitutional and military leadership from independence to the Fourth Republic.
Authored by former Presidential Reporter of The Ghanaian Times, F. Baffour Opoku, the books explore the ideologies, leadership styles, achievements, challenges and international engagements of Ghana’s past leaders.
The first book, Constitutional Rule in Ghana’s First, Second and Third Republics, examines the administrations of Kwame Nkrumah, Edward Akufo-Addo, Kofi Abrefa Busia and Hilla Limann, highlighting key political and socio-economic developments during the First, Second and Third Republics.
The second publication, Constitutional Rule in Ghana’s Fourth Republic, provides insight into leadership under the Fourth Republic, covering the era of Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor, John Evans Atta Mills, John Dramani Mahama, and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The third book, Military Rule in Ghana between 1966 and 1993, documents significant political events during periods of military governance.
It discusses the leadership of Joseph Arthur Ankrah, first Chairman of the National Liberation Council (NLC); Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa, second Chairman of the NLC; Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, Chairman of the National Redemption Council (NRC) and later the Supreme Military Council (SMC); Frederick William Kwasi Akufo, Chairman of the reconstituted SMC; and Jerry John Rawlings, who led both the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
According to the author, the books provide detailed, one-stop information on the activities and governance records of each Head of State during their respective tenures.
In addition to political analysis, the books feature biographical accounts of the Heads of State, as well as colourful photo albums capturing significant national events during their tenure.
Mr Opoku notes that as Chief Executives of the nation, the leaders profiled in the books served with dedication and commitment, and their contributions to nation-building deserve recognition and documentation for present and future generations.
The launch is expected to attract political figures, academics, members of the media and the general public.
By Spectator Reporter
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