At MONDIACULT 2025, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie (M.P), Ghana’s Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts, underscored the vital role culture plays as both the foundation of Ghana’s identity and a powerful engine for economic and social transformation. Ghana has actively placed culture at the heart of its sustainable development agenda, undertaking initiatives such as the review of the 2004 Cultural Policy, participation in the UNESCO Aschberg Project, and implementation of the Culture|2030 Indicators. Despite challenges like informal employment, gender disparities, and limited cultural infrastructure, the nation is making significant strides to build a resilient economy centered on culture and creativity.
Ghana’s cultural and creative industries encompass a wide array of sectors including music, film, fashion, crafts, festivals, and digital media, all of which generate employment and economic opportunities. The fashion industry vividly reflects Ghana’s heritage through iconic textiles like kente cloth, smocks, and batik, while artists such as Ibrahim Mahama and Amoako Boafo have elevated Ghana’s creative exports on the global stage. The government’s commitment to formalizing the sector is evident in plans for creative hubs offering professional training and the strengthening of copyright protections to better support artists and cultural professionals.
The country’s music and film industries have seen remarkable growth, with Ghanaian music styles like Highlife and Afrobeat reaching international audiences via streaming platforms and global performances. Filmmakers such as Shirley Frimpong-Manso and Blitz Bazawule have gained visibility on Netflix, and Ghana’s first official film selection, “The Fisherman,” won the prestigious UNESCO Fellini Medal at the Venice Film Festival. Cultural festivals, including Homowo and ChaleWote Street Art Festival, alongside flagship programs like the Black Star Experience, bolster Ghana’s cultural diplomacy and contribute to national unity and international recognition.
Hon. Gomashie also highlighted Ghana’s focus on sustainability and innovation within the cultural sector through green cultural production, STEM education, and youth-led creative initiatives that promote peacebuilding and cohesion. The implementation of Culture|2030 Indicators enables Ghana to quantify the cultural economy’s contribution to national GDP, demonstrating that investing in culture is synonymous with investing in development. Ghana calls on the global community to recognize culture as a universal public good and to support fair cultural trade, intellectual property protection, and inclusive financing to sustain culture as a driver of growth and social progress.
She was accompanied by Mr. Divine Kwame Owusu-Ansah, Director of Culture and Creative Arts at the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Dr. O.T. Damba, Ag. Secretary General of the Ghana National Commission of UNESCO and Ms. Cynthia Attuquaye of the Ghana Mission in Maldrid.
