Ghana’s tourism and creative industries risk missing significant business and employment opportunities unless government converts its budget commitments into accessible financing, completed infrastructure and measurable support for private sector operators.
Despite progress in digital tourism promotion, heritage site improvements and activities such as Accra by Night, implementation of several major initiatives remains uneven, with funding releases and infrastructure delays limiting the benefits reaching businesses and local communities.
Caleb Kofie, Executive Director of the Service Excellence Foundation-Ghana, said the success of the 2026 Budget interventions should be measured by their impact on jobs, business growth, investment and incomes rather than announcements and allocations.
A key concern is the gap between budgetary allocations to the Creative Arts Fund and Film Development Fund and the actual resources released to support industry operators.
Mr Kofie said the 2026 Budget allocated GH¢20 million to each fund, but public reporting available in November indicated that only GH¢5 million had been released for each, while important operational requirements remained outstanding.
“It is therefore premature to describe the funds as broadly accessible,” he said.
The funding gap raises questions about how quickly musicians, filmmakers, event organisers and other creative entrepreneurs can access capital to develop productions, expand businesses and commercialise Ghanaian intellectual property.
Mr Kofie called on the government to publish clear eligibility criteria, application procedures, disbursement timelines and regular reports on the use of the funds.
He said financing should support both emerging and established creatives, helping businesses build sustainable operations, attract private investment and develop products with potential for international markets.
For the creative economy, the availability of funding is particularly important because production, distribution, marketing and technology costs can limit the ability of local operators to compete and generate consistent revenue.
Tourism infrastructure presents another constraint to converting growing visitor interest into wider economic benefits.
Although digital platforms and renewed attention to heritage assets are improving Ghana’s visibility as a destination, Mr Kofie said poor access roads, inadequate sanitation, unreliable utilities, limited signage and safety concerns continued to affect the visitor experience.
He argued that destination marketing would have limited economic impact if visitors could not easily access attractions or find adequate services once they arrived.
Connecting tourism promotion with reliable infrastructure, skills development and community participation, he said, would encourage longer stays, higher visitor spending and better incomes for local businesses.
This is important for restaurants, accommodation providers, transport operators, tour guides, artisans and other small enterprises whose earnings depend on tourism activity beyond major hotels and established attractions.
The performance of initiatives such as Accra by Night demonstrates the potential to distribute tourism spending across different businesses and service providers.
However, the wider sector requires similar opportunities to reach destinations outside the capital, where infrastructure gaps and limited access to finance can prevent local operators from benefiting from increased visitor numbers.
The development of major cultural and tourism infrastructure also remains a test of government’s ability to translate investment plans into completed assets.
Mr Kofie acknowledged reported improvements at the National Theatre in Accra but said expectations remained high around the proposed second National Theatre in Kumasi and the Marine Drive Project.
Government has indicated that priority is being given to completing existing cultural projects in the Ashanti Region before advancing the proposed Kumasi theatre, while the Marine Drive Project has undergone revisions as authorities consider its investment and implementation approach.
He attributed delays to financing, planning, land, regulatory and coordination challenges, and called for the publication of clear timelines, funding arrangements, procurement plans and quarterly progress updates.
Such disclosure, he said, would help businesses and investors assess project delivery risks and make more informed investment decisions.
The economic opportunity is reflected in Ghana’s 2025 tourism performance, which recorded approximately 1.3 million international arrivals and estimated receipts of US$4.34 billion, alongside growth in domestic visits to tourist sites.
However, Mr Kofie cautioned against presenting those figures as evidence of the impact of the 2026 Budget, noting that government had yet to publish a consolidated scorecard linking its interventions to employment, SME growth, investment and community incomes.
The absence of such reporting makes it difficult to determine how much of the sector’s performance is translating into improved conditions for local businesses and workers.
He therefore urged government to prioritise the timely release of approved funds, completion of ongoing projects and improvements to infrastructure at tourist destinations.
He also called for accessible financing and measures to reduce the cost of doing business, particularly taxes, utility charges and regulatory burdens.
For investors, the central requirement is policy predictability and dependable infrastructure. Without these conditions, the tourism and creative sectors may struggle to attract the private capital needed to expand capacity, improve services and create sustainable employment.
Ghana’s tourism growth has demonstrated the sector’s ability to generate foreign exchange and support local enterprise. The next test is whether public investment and policy commitments can build the conditions for more businesses and communities to share in those returns.
