Ghana will in November 2025 host the maiden edition of the Creatives Connect Afrika Forum & Festival, positioning itself as the cultural heartbeat of Africa’s integration agenda under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The four-day gathering, scheduled for November 25–28 at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, will bring together policymakers, creative entrepreneurs, and industry leaders from all 54 African countries to unlock opportunities in the continent’s growing creative economy, valued at a potential 1.4 billion people market size.
Launching the initiative, Mr. Rex Omar, Coordinator of the Black Star Experience Secretariat and Presidential Adviser, said Ghana’s hosting of the forum reinforced its historic role as the symbolic home of Pan-Africanism.
“From Kwame Nkrumah’s call for African unity to today’s AfCFTA agenda, Ghana has always been at the forefront of championing integration. With this forum, our film, music, and fashion industries can connect to a continental market of 1.4 billion and tell Africa’s story to the world,” he declared.
Mr. Omar added that President John Dramani Mahama’s administration remained committed to using the creative, cultural, and tourism sectors as engines of growth, job creation, and regional integration.
On behalf of African Tourism Partners (ATP), Mr. Francis Doku, West Africa Regional Director, described the event as more than a festival, calling it “a transformational platform to use creativity as soft power for Africa’s identity, economic growth, and global competitiveness.”
The AfCFTA Secretariat confirmed that the festival will feature masterclasses, trade-focused panel discussions, exhibitions, cultural performances, a pitch fest for startups, and a presidential gala dinner. Key themes will include intellectual property, market access, financing, cultural diplomacy, and the role of technology in scaling creative industries.
Organisers say the event builds on earlier AfCFTA Tourism and Creative Industry Forums but, for the first time, elevates creativity to the center of Africa’s trade integration drive.
By convening the continent’s leading voices in film, music, fashion, and technology, the Creatives Connect Afrika Forum & Festival is expected to boost intra-African trade, attract global investment, and strengthen Ghana’s standing as a hub for cultural excellence and Pan-African collaboration.
