President John Dramani Mahama has asserted that Ghana’s creative industry holds more potential for job creation than traditional sectors such as cocoa farming and manufacturing.
Speaking during his presidential media encounter on September 10, 2025, where he addressed journalists and outlined key aspects of his ‘Resetting Ghana’ agenda, Mahama mentioned the central role of the arts in national development.
He explained that while industries like agriculture and manufacturing are essential, they do not create jobs as quickly as the creative sector.
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The President noted that his administration’s recognition of this potential was what informed the establishment of a dedicated Creative Arts Ministry, working alongside Tourism, to ensure the sector receives the needed policy support.
“The creative arts is one of the important sectors. What we notice is that the creative industry creates jobs faster than the traditional sectors that we have known. By the time the cocoa sector or manufacturing creates one job, the creative sector, digitalisation, knowledge industry, arts and things would have created about five jobs.
“And so that’s an area in which we have to continue to invest. And that is why we created them as a ministry together with tourism,” Mahama stated.
He also talked about the Black Star Experience (BSE), the flagship programme for the creative sector in the NDC’s manifesto.
According to him, though the initiative which was launched on May 1, 2025, said its impact is yet to be seen because the team behind it has been laying the groundwork for sustainable implementation.
“The Black Star experience will take off. They have been working on all the foundational issues, and you will soon see a sign of it,” Mahama assured.
AK/EB
