Creatives Connect Afrika will return to Accra from 30th November to 3rd December 2026, with its second edition examining how entertainment can drive tourism, investment and economic growth across Africa.
The AfCFTA Tourism, Creatives and Cultural Industries Forum and Festival will be held at Alisa Hotel North Ridge under the theme “Entertainment-Led Tourism: Transforming Pan-African Creative Wealth into Global Economic Influence”.
The event is convened by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat in partnership with Africa Tourism Partners (ATP) and the Black Star Experience (BSE).
It will bring together policymakers, tourism leaders, creatives, investors, entertainment executives and entrepreneurs from Africa and the diaspora.
Linking entertainment and tourism
The 2026 programme will look beyond individual creative sectors to explore the relationship between entertainment and tourism.
Music festivals, film productions, sporting events, fashion weeks, cultural festivals, wellness activities and digital content increasingly influence where people travel and how destinations are viewed. Africa’s music, film, fashion, sports, cultural and digital industries are attracting growing international audiences and commercial interest.
Organisers will examine how that momentum can increase tourist arrivals, strengthen destination brands, create jobs, attract investment and expand Africa’s participation in trade in services.
The forum will also consider how creative output can be connected to destination marketing, hospitality, transport and other tourism services to create marketable experiences.
The event follows the inaugural 2025 edition, held under the theme “Lights, Camera, Trade: Unlocking Africa’s Film, Fashion and Music Creative Industries under the AfCFTA”. That gathering produced recommendations on market access, mobility, investment, intellectual property protection, financing and regulatory cooperation.
Policy, business and cultural programme
The opening day of the 2026 event will include an AfCFTA Trade in Services Masterclass, closed-door technical sessions and a Tourism Boards and Regulators Roundtable. Days two and three will feature high-level policy discussions and panel sessions.
A Film, Animation and Creative Content Festival will showcase animation, stop-motion productions, creative storytelling and digital content. It will also address film tourism, location marketing and content distribution, while creating networking opportunities for filmmakers and producers.
The Music, Sports and Entertainment Tourism Showcase will examine how live entertainment, music and sporting events can support destination development. Wellness and lifestyle tourism will be represented through yoga, mindfulness, fitness and related experiences.
Exhibitions, cultural and entertainment showcases, business matchmaking and an investment forum will connect destinations, businesses, creatives, investors and development partners.
The organisers will address barriers including limited finance, fragmented markets, restrictions on the movement of creative professionals, weak infrastructure, skills shortages and the limited commercialisation of cultural and creative assets.
Expected outcomes include new partnerships, stronger investment prospects, greater visibility for African destinations and recommendations to improve tourism and entertainment services under the AfCFTA. Continental roadshows and promotional launches in selected African cities will take place before the event.
Creatives Connect Afrika operates under the AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Services and promotes entertainment-led tourism, trade in services, investment, cultural exchange and collaboration. The 2026 edition will expand on “Lights, Camera, Trade” by considering entertainment as a driver of tourism growth, destination development and economic transformation.
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