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Africa’s Creative Economy Needs Diaspora Capital and Expertise, Ghanaian Producer Says

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The CEO of Joegad Films, Paul Joegad, is amplifying a powerful call for Africans in the diaspora to invest their capital, skills and global networks into Africa’s burgeoning creative economy.

Joegad believes the Diaspora is the answer to reshaping film, television and cultural content across the continent.

Speaking at a virtual engagement organised with the African Chamber of Content Producers, Joegad emphasised that Africa’s creative sectors hold vast untapped potential, particularly in film and media, but require more structured investment and technical expertise to compete on the world stage.

“Diasporan Africans are uniquely positioned to bridge this gap, bringing skills, networks and exposure gained abroad back home,” Joegad said, outlining the need for a stronger ecosystem that fosters job creation, improves production quality and supports creative independence.

The US‑based Ghanaian film producer announced plans to return to Ghana and Nigeria to spearhead a new project titled Kismet, positioning it as an example of how diaspora leadership can fuel pan‑African storytelling and capacity building.

Paul Joegad. Image credit: @pjoegad

Diaspora: From Remittances to Real Investment

Creative industry experts say Joegad’s appeal reflects a broader shift in thinking: Africa’s cultural and creative sectors should be viewed not as charitable causes but as viable economic engines. With African creative output contributing tens of billions of dollars annually to the continent’s GDP and attracting global audiences, the potential for growth is substantial when backed by strategic capital and professional expertise.

This aligns with wider pan‑African efforts to position culture and creativity at the heart of economic development. Initiatives like Creatives Connect Afrika in Accra have already championed a unified approach to unlocking Africa’s tourism and creative potential, blending arts, heritage and commerce.

Global Context and Cultural Diplomacy

Joegad’s call also touches on a deeper cultural moment: as African music, film, digital content and fashion continue to shape global trends, creatives and investors worldwide are watching closely. Ghana, with its vibrant entertainment scene and growing international collaborations, stands as a key hub in this transformation.

For diaspora Africans — many of whom maintain personal and professional ties to the continent — there is now an opportunity to be active participants in this narrative. By marrying resources and expertise with local talent and markets, experts say Africa’s creative economy can compete not only within the continent but on the world stage.

According to Joegad, the drive toward creative self‑sufficiency is more than economic; it’s about owning Africa’s stories and elevating them authentically to global platforms.

Festivals & Events

Compozers Fest Ghana Edition: Welcoming 2027 with Music in Accra

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Pitch Accra sets the scene for a New Year’s Eve gathering that brings music lovers together as Ghana welcomes the first moments of 2027.

As the final hours of 2026 slip away, Accra will offer music lovers another reason to gather, celebrate and welcome a new year together. Compozers Fest Ghana Edition is scheduled for December 31, 2026, bringing the festive energy of New Year’s Eve to Pitch Accra.

Organised by December in Ghana, an events organiser with a growing following, the celebration offers an opportunity to experience Accra’s nightlife during one of the busiest periods on Ghana’s social calendar.

Music, Community and Celebration

Music has long been central to Ghanaian social life, accompanying celebrations, festivals and gatherings across generations. From highlife and hiplife to Afrobeats and contemporary African sounds, the country’s musical landscape reflects a continuing conversation between tradition and modern influences.

A festival held on New Year’s Eve provides a natural meeting point for these musical cultures and the people who enjoy them.

For Ghanaians returning home for the festive season, it offers another opportunity to reconnect with the city’s entertainment scene. International visitors can experience Accra’s year-end atmosphere alongside residents and members of the diaspora.

Although detailed information about the festival’s performers and programme has not been announced in the supplied listing, the event is scheduled to begin at 10 pm and continue into January 1, 2027.

Making New Year’s Eve Memorable

The venue, Pitch Accra, will host the gathering on Accra Road, Accra. Tickets also come with a Visa card promotion: eligible purchases receive 15 per cent back, with the refund processed within three to five working days after the event. The organiser states that tickets are non-refundable.

For visitors planning a festive-season trip, Compozers Fest Ghana Edition offers another event to consider when exploring Accra after dark.

As 2026 draws to a close, the celebration promises a chance to gather with friends, enjoy the city’s nightlife and begin 2027 in the company of fellow music lovers.

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Arts and GH Heritage

When Second-Hand Clothes Become a Playground for Community

Using Broni Wawu garments purchased at a local market, Bamfo creates enclosed and open environments designed for participation rather than distant observation.

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In Atakpamé, Ghanaian artist Dr. Frederick Bamfo transforms discarded garments into interactive spaces where children, cultural memory and collective play meet.

A discarded shirt can carry more than the memory of a former owner. In the hands of Ghanaian artist and academic Dr. Frederick Bamfo, it can become part of a place where children gather, games begin and strangers find reasons to connect.

His installation, The Games Feast, developed during the Karp Artists’ and Researchers’ Residency in Atakpamé, Togo, gives second-hand clothing a new social life.

Using Broni Wawu garments purchased at a local market, Bamfo creates enclosed and open environments designed for participation rather than distant observation.

The choice of material speaks to a familiar West African reality. Second-hand clothing circulates through markets, connecting consumers to international trade networks while raising questions about consumption, waste and the afterlife of textiles.

Often valued primarily for their usefulness or affordability, these garments become something different in Bamfo’s work: vessels of memory and possibilities for human connection.

The installation’s defining feature, however, is not simply its reuse of clothing. It is what happens inside these improvised spaces.

Children help shape the project’s collaborative spirit, while games such as ludo and oware, alongside dancing and skipping, turn the artwork into a setting for shared experience.

These activities draw on familiar forms of play that have long helped communities build relationships and pass cultural knowledge between generations.

Here, they also challenge conventional ideas of an art installation as something to admire without touching or entering.

For Bamfo, the transformation is both material and social. Clothing once associated with individual bodies becomes a collective environment, while everyday games become tools for participation.

In Atakpamé, The Games Feast suggests that the most meaningful second life of a discarded garment may not be another wardrobe, but a space where people come together.

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Reels & Social Media Highlights

Ghana’s Digital Heartbeat: Outrage, Satire, and the Fight for Accountability

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Ghana’s social media space on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, felt less like a scrolling feed and more like a pressure cooker.

Between the crimson solidarity of #RedWednesday, the dust of a collapsing high-rise, and the astonishing unravelling of a political spokesperson, Ghanaians were simultaneously furious, entertained, and deeply skeptical.

The day’s emotional center was the Obuasi SHTS sexual abuse scandal. Activists declared “Red Wednesday,” urging citizens to wear red in solidarity with the alleged victims.

The mood turned from grief to rage when a leaked clip showed NDC communicator Daniel Nortey dismissing the allegations with the callous remark, “He’s a rapist, so what?”

The backlash was immediate and fierce, with figures like Nana Aba Anamoah condemning the comment, forcing Nortey into a swift, televised apology . Meanwhile, a very different kind of accountability played out in satire.

A viral video, amplified by Ashanti Regional Minister Frank Amoakohene, juxtaposed Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s past claims of completing the Pwalugu Dam against his recent promise to build it, using the “A few moments later” meme to devastating effect .

Amidst the politics, raw reality intruded. A video of concrete blocks raining down from the Villagio construction site in Accra sparked safety fears, but it was the cameraman’s subsequent claim that the company threatened him with “police and lawyers” that truly ignited the timeline.

Even the beach wasn’t safe from scrutiny: creator Ivy Prosper’s on-the-ground photos of a still-littered Labadi Beach exposed the polished, viral images of a “Miami-style” shoreline as misleading, triggering a wave of cynical “smoke and mirrors” commentary.

What united these disparate moments was a collective demand for transparency. Whether mocking a politician’s memory, calling out a spokesperson’s inhumanity, or fact-checking a pretty picture, Ghanaian netizens were not merely consuming content—they were actively auditing the world around them, one screenshot at a time.

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