The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Monday, November 13, 2023, joined the French Ambassador to Ghana, Jules Armand Aniambossou to launch Creation Africa Ghana.
Creation Africa Ghana is an initiative by the French Embassy in Ghana to empower entrepreneurs in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs).
President Akufo-Addo, in his brief remark at the event held at the residence of the French Ambassador in Accra, indicated that Ghana was proud to have been selected as the first port of call.
According to him, the dynamic, viable, and strong creative industry in Ghana culminated in France choosing Ghana to commence the initiative.
“Creation Africa, which is taking Ghana as its first port of call, is something that we in Ghana should be proud of and accept. And the reason for it is something that, to Ghanaians, should be obvious.
We have a dynamic, viable, and strong creative industry in Ghana, and it’s not of today’s making; for as long as I can remember, Ghanaian musicians, artists, and painters have done so much work to bring our culture up to date, to refine it, to redefine it, and generally to make it relevant to the struggles and efforts we were making to develop,” he said.
The President told the guests, made up of people from the creative industry and other sectors, that the cultural and creative industries are huge drivers of economic growth and wealth creation.
BRIDGE GAP
The French Ambassador to Ghana, Jules Armand Aniambossou, noted that the initiative seeks to bridge the gap between artistry and entrepreneurship and inject more vitality into the sector.
“We invite aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators to submit their projects for a chance to receive mentorship, resources, and money,” he mentioned.
He mentioned that one did not need to know him, the ambassador, to benefit from the initiative, as it is strictly based on creativity.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
As a pivotal component of the initiative, Creation Africa Ghana launched a call for proposals, in collaboration with its incubator partner, Impact Hub.
This call invites aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators to submit their projects for the chance to receive mentorship, resources, and funding.
ABOUT CREATION AFRICA GHANA
Creation Africa Ghana is part of a broader effort, led by the French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, known as Creation Africa, which involves 15 African countries.
They are: Ghana, South Africa, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Chad, and Togo.
Creation Africa Ghana aims to empower entrepreneurs involved in the creation, development, production, and distribution of goods, services, and activities with cultural, artistic, and/or heritage content, particularly architecture, design, books and publishing, music, cinema, audiovisual content, digital creations, museums and heritage, media, visual arts, video games, fashion and luxury goods, and performing arts.
In recent years, French foreign policy has shifted its focus towards promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly within the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). These industries have significant untapped potential in Africa, as indicated by a comprehensive UNESCO study conducted between 2020 and 2021.
