Ghana’s rich cultural heritage and dynamic creative industries have long been recognized as vital drivers of national development and economic growth.
Home to 75 percent of Africa’s slave heritage sites—including the historic Elmina Castle, built in 1482—the country’s historical importance is undeniable. Beyond heritage, Ghana’s creative sector, spanning film, music, fashion, arts, crafts, tourism, and gastronomy, holds enormous potential to spark transformation and prosperity.
A recent publication by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Heritage and Prosperity: The Creative and Cultural Economy as Catalyst for Africa’s Sustainable Growth, identifies five key areas to unlock growth: tourism, creative industries, gastronomy, cultural intellectual property (IP), and traditional knowledge. The report highlights how these can generate jobs, foster innovation, and boost exports.
Challenges Facing the Industry
Despite its promise, Ghana’s creative space is constrained by structural hurdles. Inadequate infrastructure—such as unreliable power, poor internet connectivity, and limited studios or performance venues—remains a pressing issue. Weak intellectual property protection, insufficient financing, piracy, and fragmented policy frameworks further undermine growth.
Low entry barriers and the dominance of global distributors often leave local creatives struggling to secure fair deals or earn sustainable incomes. Compounding this is the lack of reliable industry data, particularly from the informal sector, making it difficult to craft evidence-based policies or provide effective support.
GTA’s Strategic Approach
The GTA is confident these challenges can be overcome with the right strategy. Its plan includes establishing creative hubs, digital platforms, and cultural districts while providing training and capacity-building programs for industry players.
Other measures involve promoting cultural and festival tourism, developing cultural trails, and advancing music tourism to showcase Ghana’s heritage. The GTA also intends to push for policy reforms and greater stakeholder engagement, ensuring creatives and communities benefit fairly from the industry’s growth.
By partnering with the private sector, government agencies, and international organizations, the GTA seeks to attract investment and open access to new markets.
Economic Impact and Opportunities
Projections from the GTA are optimistic. Tourism arrivals are expected to increase by 25 percent, with visitors staying longer and spending more. The creative sector is forecast to generate over 100,000 jobs, boost exports by 40 percent, and reach $500 million in revenue. Additionally, more than 50,000 artisans are projected to be lifted out of poverty, significantly improving rural incomes.
At the core of these initiatives is a commitment to authenticity and fair distribution of benefits, ensuring communities are not left behind. Innovation and technology also present new opportunities, with digital platforms giving creatives global visibility and clustering strategies helping strengthen competitiveness.
Looking Ahead
Ghana’s creative and tourism sector is undoubtedly one of the nation’s most promising economic pillars. Yet piracy, weak IP protections, limited financing, and poor infrastructure continue to hold it back. Global distributors’ dominance often strips local creatives of bargaining power, while fragmented policies hinder growth.
Still, opportunity abounds. With innovation, stronger branding, and strategic investments in infrastructure—ranging from reliable power and high-speed internet to world-class studios and performance venues—the sector can flourish. Improved data collection will also play a critical role in shaping policies and interventions that are evidence-driven.
The GTA has pledged to tackle these bottlenecks by enhancing IP enforcement, fostering public-private partnerships, and developing skills in areas like animation, fashion, sound design, IP law, and marketing.
If stakeholders work together, Ghana’s creative industry can evolve from being a cultural showcase to becoming a robust engine of economic growth, job creation, and national pride. By unlocking its creative capital, Ghana has the opportunity not only to thrive but also to set a benchmark for Africa’s creative future.
The writer is the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA).