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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.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, has accepted an apology from the Minority leader in Parliament following allegations of corruption in the recruitment process of the security services.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, he indicated that the accusations were painful because they portrayed his actions in a way that suggested criminal wrongdoing.
“It is painful to be wrongly accused or for your actions to be misconstrued and labelled differently from your intention, especially when it is linked with criminality and serious wrongdoing,” he stated.
Mr Mubarak noted that although he was deeply hurt and worried by the allegations, he had decided to accept the apology wholeheartedly.
According to him, the issue should guide members of the House and public officials to focus on ensuring that the right things are done without attempting to destroy one another.
He assured the Minority that the Interior Ministry and the various security service commanders remain committed to transparency and accountability in their work.
The Minister added that the ministry would be ready to address any concerns raised by the Minority or other members of Parliament regarding recruitment into the security services.
He further appealed to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to consider expunging from the parliamentary records the false comments.
Mr Mubarak expressed appreciation to the Speaker for handling the matter and emphasised the need for cooperation among members of Parliament to ensure fairness and proper oversight.
By: Jacob Aggrey
THE Gospel Advocates (TGA), a non-denominational evangelistic Christian organisation last Saturday donated a number of educational logistics to the Dodi Asantekrom Basic School in the Eastern region of Ghana.
The gesture was to mark the seventh anniversary of the organisation made up of professionals committed to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to students in senior high schools, particularly in rural communities.
TGA also seeks to inspire students towards attaining academic excellence and guiding them towards optimising the various learning opportunities and academic programmes available at the tertiary level.
Among the items donated were 100 desks, 10 cupboards, 10 desktop computers, two laptops, 10 teachers’ tables and chairs and others.
The group also held its annual outreach programme that had a significant impact in the community through initiatives such as feeding 500 children with hot meals and assorted drinks, providing free medical screening and drugs for 500 adults and youth and conducting health education and sensitisation for both children and adults.
TGA also took upon itself to restock the community clinic with essential medicines and distributed food items, plastic bowls, cups and clothing to members of the community.
The initiative, according to officials of the group, was supported by ORSAM Limited, Doctors Save Lives Foundation, Johnson Tord Foundation, El-Shaddai Mothercare, Exceed Alliance Limited, GB Foods Ghana Limited, Qualiplast Limited, Phyto-Riker (Gihoc) Pharmaceuticals Limited, Cosa Bright Ghana, Kabs Pharmacy, Tobinco Pharmaceuticals, Pill Bay Pharmacy and Bamah 3.7.7.
“We are deeply grateful for their immense support and partnership in bringing hope, relief, and practical assistance to the people of Dodi Asantekrom,” the officials said.
In a statement, the President and Chairman of The Gospel Advocates, Mr. Selom Kpikpitse, said the donation to Dodi Asantekrom forms part of TGA’s broader mission to propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ among students and youth in rural communities through teachings, music and arts.
He explained that the meals provided to over 500 pupils were in line with the organization’s annual “Feed the Kidz Project,” which demonstrates Christ’s love.
Receiving the items on behalf of the school, the Headmaster, Mr. Otumfour Newton, expressed gratitude to TGA and its sponsors, saying that “the items would significantly enhance teaching and learning while improving the overall welfare and development of the pupils.”
Mr. Newton also commended the team for the free medical screenings for adults and youth in the community, and other community engagements.
Medical supplies were also donated to the Dodi Asantekrom CHPS compound and received on behalf of the facility by Mr. Amefu, a Physician Assistant.
By Spectator Reporter
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