President John Dramani Mahama has reassured Ghanaians that developments under his flagship creative arts initiative, the Black Star Experience (BSE), will soon become visible.
Speaking in a sit-down with the media on September 10, 2025,the President said foundational work is underway and that signs of progress will manifest in due time.
“The Black Star Experience will take off. They have been working on the foundational issues and you will soon see a sign of it,” President Mahama said when asked about the creative sector’s role in job creation.
His comments come amid reminders from creative arts stakeholders that the BSE is still in its early planning phases.
‘Black Star Experience’s impact will take two years to show’ – Rex Omar
A presidential staffer and coordinator of the BSE reportedly told GhanaWeb in a recent interview that it will take at least two years for tangible results to emerge.
“It will take us two years to see the impact of what we are doing because a lot of things are going to happen, which are in the planning,” he said in an interview on GhanaWeb X Spaces.
Concerns have been raised by past officials in the creative sector, including Mark Okraku-Mantey, former Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, about the risk of flagship programs being announced without sufficient follow-through.
The Black Star Experience was launched in May 2025 as a year-round cultural initiative by the government to drive economic transformation, cultural rebranding, and to strengthen Ghana’s creative economy.
Watch the full address below:
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