Creative Economy, Cultural Infrastructure & Diaspora Leadership Mission

I travelled to Accra, Ghana during December as part of an ongoing cultural leadership mission focused on creative infrastructure, diaspora engagement, and long-term ecosystem building.

Ghana holds a unique position within the African creative economy — both as a cultural hub and as a key gateway for diaspora return. This mission centred on moving the conversation beyond seasonal celebration toward systems, ownership, and sustainability: what remains when attention moves on.

Creative Economy & Talent Pipeline Leadership

A central pillar of the mission was my work with Diaspora District, where the focus was building Africa’s creative talent pipeline. The work challenged outdated ideas that treat creativity as extracurricular rather than economic infrastructure.

I spoke on:
• Treating creativity as infrastructure, not risk
• Designing education systems that support creative careers
• Promotion, venue ownership, and scalable pathways
• Why talent alone cannot scale without systems to carry it

Media, Narrative & Public Discourse

While in Accra, I engaged with Ghanaian media to help shape public conversation around Afrobeats, December in Ghana, and the long-term future of the creative economy.

This included:
• Live interviews on 3Music TV
• National broadcast conversations on culture, scale, and responsibility
• Radio discussions on narrative ownership and the meaning behind “Detty December”

Diaspora Roundtables: Beyond Detty December

A major milestone of the mission was hosting Diaspora Roundtables: Beyond Detty December in Accra — a closed-room working session bringing together over fifty creatives, operators, artists, and builders from across the diaspora.

The roundtable was designed to move from moments to institutions, with a focus on:
• Ownership and value chains beyond festival season
• Year-round livelihoods and reinvestment
• Standards, safety, and responsibility as scale increases
• Practical collaboration between diaspora and local operators

Scale, Touring Infrastructure & Safety

The mission also included attending major cultural events across Accra, observing real-time crowd movement, technical delivery, and venue limitations at scale.

These moments reinforced an urgent need for:
• Purpose-built music venues and consistent technical standards
• Stronger crowd-flow design and safety planning
• Touring infrastructure that matches the demand Ghana is already proving

Cultural Diplomacy & Long-Term Impact

Ghana’s December season continues to demonstrate global demand for African culture. This mission focused on ensuring that demand translates into lasting value, local ownership, and systems that compound beyond one season.

Culture already works. Infrastructure determines whether it lasts.