Ghana’s Creative Arts Agency (CAAG) has initiated formal engagement with the Ghana Culture Forum (GCF) to consolidate and regulate the country’s fragmented creative economy, in a bid to unlock its economic potential and enhance its contribution to national development.
The meeting, held in Accra, marked the first official consultation between CAAG’s newly appointed Executive Secretary, Gideon Aryeequaye, and representatives of the GCF, including Fashion Domain Head Beatrice Bee Arthur. The discussions focused on aligning stakeholders across the arts, culture, and fashion industries under a unified framework, backed by government oversight and structured certification.
CAAG’s strategic roadmap includes the introduction of a centralized Creative Arts Register, aimed at increasing transparency and minimizing duplication across the sector. Plans are also underway to decentralize creative industry support.
According to Gideon Aryeequaye, with Ghana being segmented into three creative zones, North, Middle, and South, there is the need to ensure regional inclusion and reduce over-reliance on Accra as the sector’s administrative hub.
As part of its input, the GCF submitted documentation identifying longstanding creative industry groups that meet threshold requirements, including MUSIGA, (GAVA) Ghana Association of Visual Artists, the Ghana Writers Association, Models and Designers Union of Ghana (MODUGA), the GCF and others spanning design, fashion, and visual arts. These associations form a substantial part of Ghana’s Orange Economy, cultural industries with commercial potential in job creation and export promotion.
The forum’s leadership expressed support for CAAG’s policy direction and indicated readiness to collaborate through technical expertise and sector advocacy. The broader goal, both sides agreed, is to position creative industries as a core pillar in Ghana’s economic diversification strategy.
CAAG is also planning a series of annual events and initiatives to reinvigorate the sector following the constitution of its governing board. A new framework will be introduced to formally certify creative practitioners and associations under the legal auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
Following the initial engagement, Beatrice Bee Arthur is expected to hold additional meetings with CAAG leadership to align fashion sector strategies with national creative policy. This includes proposals for strengthening institutional backing for Ghana’s fashion industry and advancing its global competitiveness.
The move to formalize and regulate the sector is aligned with Ghana’s broader ambitions to reposition cultural industries as tools for economic growth, tourism branding, and sustainable development, particularly through initiatives such as the Black Star Experience.
