AfCFTA launches forum, festival to unleash Africa’s creative powerhouse

Stanley Ihedigbo

Africa’s creative and cultural industries took center stage in Lagos as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat officially launched the AfCFTA Forum and Festival on Tourism, Creatives, and Cultural Industries, a landmark initiative aimed at unlocking the vast potential of Africa’s creative economy.

The launch event, held under the auspices of AfCFTA’s Director for Trade in Services, Investment, Intellectual Property Rights, and Digital Trade, Mrs. Emily Mburu-Ndoria, brought together policymakers, industry leaders, development partners, and the media.

Representing His Excellency Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Mrs. Mburu-Ndoria described the launch as “a milestone moment for Africa’s integration journey.”

“The tourism, creative, and cultural sectors of Africa are not just industries,” she said.

“They are the heartbeat of our economies, the custodians of our heritage, the storytellers of our shared identity, and a driving force for inclusion and innovation.”

The upcoming AfCFTA Tourism, Creatives, and Cultural Industries Forum and Festival will be hold from 24 – 26 November 2025 in Accra, Ghana, under the theme “Creatives Connect Afrika.”

It will serve as the first major AfCFTA event dedicated exclusively to the creative economy—bringing together artists, investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from across the continent.

The forum will feature high-level policy dialogues, masterclasses for creative entrepreneurs, cultural showcases, and business matchmaking sessions to spur cross-border partnerships. From fashion runways to film screenings, exhibitions, and concerts, the event will celebrate Africa’s creativity while fostering trade and investment within the creative ecosystem.

Mrs. Mburu-Ndoria emphasized that the initiative is built around four key goals, which are: strengthening Africa’s integration by harmonizing policies and removing trade barriers in the creative sector.

Building capacity and skills for filmmakers, designers, and musicians to compete globally. Fostering investment and partnerships that connect creative startups with financiers and investors.

Celebrating Africa’s cultural diversity and excellence while positioning the continent as a global hub for innovation and creative expression.

“Our work is not just about boosting GDP or increasing trade figures,” she said.

“It’s about empowering youth to see creativity as a viable pathway to prosperity and enabling women entrepreneurs in fashion, design, and film to claim their space in the global economy.”

A major highlight of the Lagos launch was the announcement of a strategic partnership between the AfCFTA Secretariat and the Black Star Experience Secretariat, anchored by the flagship initiative Creatives Connect Afrika (CCA), a dynamic platform designed to integrate Africa’s creative industries into the continental trade framework.

The Black Star Experience Secretariat brings cultural influence, convening power, and deep ties with the African and diaspora creative communities.

Based in Ghana, it has established itself as a vibrant platform celebrating Pan-Africanism through music, art, and entrepreneurship.

The AfCFTA Secretariat, meanwhile, provides the policy, legal, and institutional backbone to break down trade barriers and create a single market for goods and services across Africa.

Its inclusion of cultural and creative services in the AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Services underscores the continent’s commitment to the sector.

Together, the two entities aimed to transform Africa’s creative potential into measurable economic prosperity through trade, investment, and digital integration.

At the heart of this collaboration lies Creatives Connect Afrika (CCA), a comprehensive initiative and digital platform that connects creative entrepreneurs with opportunities enabled by the AfCFTA.

CCA seeks to empower artists, filmmakers, designers, animators, and digital innovators to trade seamlessly across African borders, while promoting intellectual property rights and sustainable creative business models.