Collins Sefa Accra is set to host the first-ever Creative Connect Afrika Festival & Forum, a landmark event positioning Africa’s creative industries as catalysts for trade, innovation, and continental integration.
Scheduled for 24–26 November 2025 at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, the festival aims to unite creators, investors, policymakers, and industry leaders from across Africa.
Organised under the AfCFTA framework, the three-day festival will serve as a platform to highlight the role of Africa’s creative economy—spanning film, fashion, music, design, media, and digital arts—in shaping economic growth and deepening regional cooperation. Attendees can expect film screenings, masterclasses, industry dialogues, networking sessions, exhibitions, and live performances celebrating Africa’s diverse cultural expression.
Event organisers describe Creative Connect Afrika 2025 as more than a festival—“a movement” connecting talent to trade and creativity to commercial opportunity. The programme is curated to spark cross-border collaborations, open new markets for creatives, and drive investment into Africa’s fast-growing creative sectors.
Ahead of the main event, the AfCFTA Secretariat, Black Star Experience Secretariat, and Africa Tourism Partners held a media launch in Accra, followed by roadshows in Kumasi, Tamale, and Lagos. The Lagos engagement, held in Africa’s largest creative market, highlighted the commercial impact of Nollywood, Afrobeats, fashion houses, and media enterprises.
Speaking at one of the regional engagements, celebrated Ghanaian musician and Black Star Experience coordinator Rex Omar reflected on the power of African storytelling. Drawing on his Samburu heritage, he explained how music, dance, and traditional attire preserve identity and transmit cultural history. “These are not just stories; they are instruments of power,” he said.
Mrs. Emily Mburu-Ndoria, Director for Trade in Services at the AfCFTA Secretariat, noted that the creative, cultural, and tourism sectors are essential to Africa’s economic transformation. “They are the heartbeat of our economies, the custodians of our heritage, and a driving force for inclusion and innovation,” she stated.
Creative Connect Afrika is designed to support skills development, expand market access, enhance intellectual property protection, and unlock financing opportunities for creators. It also aligns with the AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Services, which prioritises the liberalisation of creative industries—one of the fastest-growing sectors globally.
The public is encouraged to participate in the inaugural edition for an immersive celebration of African creativity and a unique opportunity to engage with industry leaders shaping the continent’s creative economy.
