President Mahama Announces GH¢40 Million for Creative Sector, New Convention Centre

The creative arts sector will receive GH¢40 million in government funding and the country will get a new Convention and Creative Events Centre, President John Dramani Mahama has announced.

Speaking in Parliament during his State of the Nation Address on Friday, President Mahama explained that the government had allocated GH¢20 million to the film industry and another GH¢20 million to the creative sector.

He pledged to lead efforts to promote the sector personally.

“I will be your personal ambassador for the tourism and creative sector,” he told the House.

Ghana had become a favourite tourist destination because of its history, culture, arts, music, fashion, and food, the President observed.

He added that the economy’s future would not rest on traditional sectors alone, saying, our economy will not be built only by traditional sectors but also by human-creativity sectors that will absorb those displaced from the shop floor by new AI technologies.

On infrastructure, President Mahama disclosed that the government would refurbish the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) to restore it to its former status as the country’s premier events and conference venue.

“The original contractors, EnergoProjekt Ghana Limited, had already completed a structural integrity assessment at the request of the Chief of Staff and would commence renovation works in the coming weeks”, he noted.

The President, however, made clear that the AICC refurbishment was only part of the plan.

“The AICC is not enough for a country seeking to develop its creative sector and become West Africa’s destination for meetings, musical concerts, entertainment, and conferences,” he told the House.

A new Convention and Creative Events Centre would be built this year in partnership with the private sector, he announced, to position Ghana as West Africa’s leading hub for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions, and Creative Events.

He added that renovation of the State Banquet Hall, which had been closed for several years, would also begin this year.

On sports, President Mahama announced that Ghana would make its fifth FIFA World Cup appearance in 2026, describing it as an opportunity to boost national branding and the economy beyond football.

The Black Queens would compete at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, he added, building on their bronze medal finish at the last edition in Morocco.

Ghana would also participate in the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar with a multi-disciplinary team aimed at strengthening long-term elite pathways, the President disclosed.

He added that Ghana would be represented at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, reinforcing the country’s presence across the Commonwealth sporting landscape.

Richard Aniagyei, ISD