The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, in partnership with the Government of Ghana through the Black Star Experience Secretariat and Africa Tourism Partners (ATP), on Friday, 22 August 2025, officially launched Creatives Connect Afrika (CCA) at Africa Trade House in Accra.
The landmark initiative is designed as a continental platform to convene Africa’s creative economy including music, film, fashion, design, digital arts, festivals and allied services under the trade and investment framework of AfCFTA. The launch was attended by more than 100 participants drawn from across the creative, tourism and policy ecosystem, including entrepreneurs, festival curators, designers, investors, media professionals and government representatives.
Speaking at the launch, Emily Mburu-Ndoria, Director of Trade in Services, Investment, Intellectual Property Rights and Digital Trade at the AfCFTA Secretariat, emphasized the strategic importance of embedding Africa’s cultural and creative industries within AfCFTA’s trade architecture.
“The tourism, creative and cultural sectors are the heartbeat of our economy. They are the custodians of our heritage, the storytellers of our shared identity, and the driving force for inclusion. They represent our past, reflect our present, and most importantly, they are shaping the future of this continent,” she said.
She noted that under the AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Services, tourism and cultural services are among the prioritized sectors for progressive liberalization, highlighting their capacity to generate economic growth, create jobs, foster inclusion, and strengthen Africa’s global cultural footprint.
“Africa’s film, music, and fashion industries alone account for trillions in potential revenue and millions of jobs for our youth and women. The upcoming forum and festival in November is not just a gathering, but a call to action, a platform to engage in meaningful discussions, address barriers, and identify practical solutions to unleash the full potential of Africa’s creative economy,” Mburu-Ndoria stressed.
The event also showcased the central role of Ghana’s Black Star Experience Secretariat, which has been instrumental in positioning Ghana as a hub for creative and cultural diplomacy. Rex Omar, Presidential Staffer and Coordinator of the Black Star Experience, anchored the vision at the launch, reaffirming Ghana’s commitment to fostering cross-border creative collaboration under AfCFTA.
Delivering remarks on behalf of Mr. Kwakye Donkor, CEO of Africa Tourism Partners, Francis Doku, ATP’s West Africa Representative, reaffirmed ATP’s long-term commitment to transforming Africa’s creative, tourism, and business events sectors.
“Our vision is clear: to transform Africa’s tourism, business events, and creative economy landscape through innovative initiatives, partnerships, and capacity building. Over the years, ATP has demonstrated this commitment through platforms such as the Africa Business Tourism and MICE Masterclass, the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum and Awards, and the Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit and Challenge,” Doku said.
He added: “The maiden Creatives Connect Afrika Forum and Festival will be a continental platform that transforms Africa’s creative space particularly film, fashion, and music into a driver of jobs, revenue, and global influence. Together with AfCFTA, the Black Star Experience, and other partners, we aim to deliver a platform that ensures Africa’s creatives are empowered to compete globally and drive sustainable economic transformation.”
The launch also unveiled plans for the first edition of Creatives Connect Afrika, to be hosted in Accra, Ghana, from 25th to 30th November 2025 at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel. Ghana will host the forum for the next three years, before it rotates to another African country.
The November programme will feature:
- Masterclasses in film, music, and fashion, focusing on trade rules, content development, financing, production, distribution, and regulatory issues.
- Panel discussions with policymakers, investors, and creative entrepreneurs.
- Exhibitions and showcases celebrating Africa’s rich cultural diversity through concerts, fashion shows, and performances.
- Business matching opportunities to connect startups, investors, and creatives across the continent.
Key themes will include visa and mobility challenges, cultural diplomacy, the role of storytelling in intra-African trade, creative infrastructure, emerging technologies, and the gig economy.
According to organizers, Creatives Connect Afrika builds on the success of the AfCFTA Tourism, Creative and Cultural Industries Forum, held in Gaborone, Botswana, over the past three years as part of the African Tourism Leadership Forum (ATLF). While that forum laid the groundwork, Creatives Connect Afrika expands its scope by fully integrating tourism with the wider creative and cultural economy under AfCFTA.
By situating Creatives Connect Afrika at the Africa Trade House, organizers are intentionally rooting it within AfCFTA’s institutional mechanisms. This ensures that issues such as intellectual property rights, services trade liberalization, tariffs on creative goods, and intra-African investment frameworks are not treated as peripheral, but central to the development of Africa’s creative economy.
As Emily Mburu-Ndoria noted in her closing remarks:
“This launch is more than the unveiling of an event. It is a reaffirmation of our collective resolve to nurture Africa’s creative talent, harness the power of tourism and culture for sustainable development, and show that AfCFTA extends beyond traditional trade. It encompasses our artists, our entrepreneurs, our communities, and our shared future.”
As the countdown begins to the November 2025 maiden edition of Creatives Connect Afrika, the message from Accra was clear: Africa’s creative economy is no longer at the margins of trade, it is central to the AfCFTA vision of integration, prosperity, and cultural pride.
This initiative, Creatives Connect Afrika is set to become a continental platform where creativity meets commerce, heritage meets innovation, and Africa tells its story on its own terms.
