The Accra forum will bring tourism and creative-sector players together around five priorities: building capacity, connecting partners, showcasing African experiences, commercialising opportunities and experiencing creativity firsthand.
Creatives Connect Afrika (CCA) 2026 will seek to move conversations into partnerships, investment and market opportunities for African creative and tourism businesses. The second edition was virtually launched on 26 October 2026 in Accra, ahead of the four-day forum and festival scheduled for 30 November to 3 December at Alisa Hotel North Ridge.
Kwakye Donkor, Chief Executive Officer of Africa Tourism Partners, said the event should be judged by the outcomes it generates. “CCA 2026 should be judged not simply by the conversations we hold in Accra, but by what those conversations produce,” he said.
The five priorities outlined at the launch are to build practical capabilities, connect tourism and entertainment leaders with buyers and investors, showcase African destinations and products, create routes to markets and investment, and give participants firsthand experiences of African creativity.
The forum is designed to bring together people who may not ordinarily meet, including tourism institutions, creative entrepreneurs, investors, buyers and potential business partners. Organisers are also inviting partners to support the African Creative Marketplace, present relevant products and services, and help extend the forum’s reach.
Francis Doku, West Africa Regional Representative for Africa Tourism Partners, pressed organisers on what CCA had achieved beyond dialogue and how this year’s edition would be measured. His question put the focus on whether the connections made through the forum lead to partnerships, business and investment.
The event will also connect with Ghana’s December events season, giving delegates opportunities to experience the country’s cultural and tourism offer through showcases spanning fashion, music and film.
The AfCFTA Secretariat outlined related work to support tourism trade across the continent. This includes a tourism programme developed with Africa Tourism Partners, which it hopes to activate next year, and work on the movement of business people, including tourism professionals such as tour guides and tour operators. The Secretariat also cited collaboration with the African Union Commission and the African Civil Aviation Commission on the Single African Air Transport Market.
Tourism country fact sheets developed with ATP are another resource. According to the Secretariat representative, the sheets cover all 55 African countries, including attractions, economic outlook and investment information for travellers and prospective investors.
Irene Costa, editor of Business Events Africa, highlighted the initiative’s relevance to the meetings and events sector. “Our industry is all about bringing people together and also growing industries,” she said, adding that the sector connects with creative industries and local communities.
CCA’s stated ambition is to connect African creativity with tourism, enterprise, markets and investment and to ensure that more of the resulting value reaches creatives and businesses across the continent. The measure of this year’s edition will be whether the conversations produce concrete opportunities beyond the forum itself.
