AfCFTA Forum and Festival aims to boost Africa’s creative, cultural and tourism sectors by driving integration, innovation and youth empowerment
AfCFTA Forum and Festival has launched a landmark initiative to deepen intra-African creative collaboration and strengthen the continent’s tourism and cultural industries.
The new platform, officially unveiled on Friday in Lagos, is tagged “Creatives Connect Afrika.” The event will take place from November 24 to 26, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, and is jointly organised by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Black Star Experience (BSE), and Africa Tourism Partners (ATP).
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the forum seeks to harness Africa’s rich creative and cultural assets to drive economic integration, job creation and sustainable development across the continent.
Speaking at the launch, Mrs Emily Mburu-Ndoria, AfCFTA’s Director of Trade in Services, Investment, Intellectual Property Rights, and Digital Trade, described the creative, tourism and cultural sectors — including film, music and fashion — as the heartbeat of Africa’s economies.
“Our work is not just about boosting GDP or increasing trade figures,” she said. “It’s about empowering our youth to see creativity not only as passion but as a viable pathway to prosperity.”
Mburu-Ndoria noted that the AfCFTA Forum and Festival would harmonise policies, remove trade barriers, and build capacity for filmmakers, designers and musicians, equipping them to compete globally.
Omar, representing the Black Star Experience, said the collaboration would “unlock new opportunities for intra-African trade” in creative and tourism sectors.
He explained that the BSE, under the Office of Ghana’s President John Mahama, was established to position Ghana as Africa’s leading cultural and tourism hub.
“It equips, protects, connects and empowers African creatives — from filmmakers to designers — to trade their services seamlessly across borders,” Omar said.
He added that the platform would function as both a digital and physical marketplace, linking creatives with investors, distributors and partners, while offering training on intellectual property rights, export compliance, and branding.
Mr Kwakye Donkor, CEO of Africa Tourism Partners, described the festival as a vehicle to amplify Africa’s excellence and strengthen regional unity through culture.
“Film, music and fashion are not just industries — they define who we are and connect us as Africans,” Donkor said.
He urged Nigerian media and industry professionals to support Creatives Connect Afrika, noting that Nigeria remains the continent’s most vibrant creative and economic powerhouse.
The upcoming Accra event will feature policy dialogues, exhibitions, masterclasses and networking sessions, spotlighting Africa’s creative energy and advancing its collective cultural identity.
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