How Creatives Connect Afrika is rewriting Africa’s story through fashion, film & music

Africa’s creative renaissance was on display at the Creatives Connect Afrika AfCFTA forum & festival on tourism, creative & cultural industries that was a vibrant celebration of the continent’s global cultural footprint.

Designed to spotlight Africa's creative industries as catalysts for trade and continental integration, the three-day festival brought together Africa’s leading policymakers, creative entrepreneurs, investors, and cultural thought-leaders.

Hosted at the iconic La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, Ghana featured transformative dialogue, collaboration, and marketplace engagement with several highlights.

Ghana’s President H.E. John Dramani Mahama’s opening speech, delivered on his behalf by Mr. Rex Owusu Marfo, Coordinator of the Black Star Experience Secretariat, set the tone for the festival positioned Africa’s creative industries as engines of trade, innovation, and economic transformation.

Unpacking a comprehensive six-pillar framework designed to transform Africa’s creative potential into structured economic power, the address highlighted the need for policy leadership, sustainable financing, market access, regional collaboration and digital and IP sovereignty.

Blending interactive expert panel discussions with a line-up of fun activities, those in attendance tapped into the expertise of the panellists and notable players in the industry left attendees not only inspired but also equipped with new relationships, new knowledge, and renewed confidence in the continent’s creative future.

Beyond the showcases, Creatives Connect Afrika functioned as a powerful networking hub. Panels and workshops connected emerging creatives with established industry leaders, fostering mentorships and sparking cross-border collaborations.

Experts unpacked the role of Africa's creative industries as catalysts for trade and continental integration, along with the challenges and proposed realistic solutions.

Ms. Emily Mburu-Ndoria, the Director of Trade in Services, investment, Intellectual Property Rights & Digital Trade (DTIID), AfCFTA Secretariat highlighted some of the challenges, noting that the continent is ready for a unified market.

The continent’s global cultural impact was on display with vibrant artistic expressions on the fashion runway.

Designers from several countries including Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Gabon and Kenya presented collections that proclaimed Africa’s creative power and showcased the continent’s brilliance.

The dynamic runway showcase told the continent’s global story and how African artistry influences global culture with fashion as a competitive creative industry with tangible economic impact across manufacturing, retail, tourism, and global branding.