By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi, GNA
Accra, May 31, GNA – Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, has launched the 2026 edition of the National Heritage Photo Competition and the Afro-Gastro Festival as part of the broader Black Star Experience initiative.
The two programmes, she said, expressed Ghanaian identity and pride, telling the story of the nation’s past, present and aspirations for the future while promoting cultural preservation, creativity and Pan-African unity.
Speaking at the launch in Accra on Saturday, Madam Gomashie recalled the success of the maiden National Heritage Photo Competition launched last year, noting that young people from across the country submitted photographs capturing festivals, landscapes, crafts, architecture, rituals and everyday life.
She said the quality of entries demonstrated that the future of Ghana’s cultural documentation was bright, and congratulated Mr Caleb Nii Vanderpuye, winner of the inaugural competition.
His photograph depicted the historic meeting between the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II.
“A photograph that was widely acclaimed for portraying unity, dignity and cultural continuity. The competition had shown that heritage was not only inherited but also actively created and lived,” the Minister said.
She noted that the 2026 competition, on the themed: “Promoting Creativity and Heritage Through the Eyes of the Youth,” sought to nurture a new generation of cultural documentarians and ambassadors, providing an opportunity for young people aged 25 years and below to use photography to showcase Ghana’s rich tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
On the Afro-Gastro Festival, Madam Gomashie said it would celebrate African culinary heritage and cultural diplomacy and bring together chefs, culinary innovators, traditional food practitioners, indigenous knowledge bearers, food historians, nutritionists, cultural scholars and entrepreneurs from across Africa to promote indigenous foods and culinary traditions.
The Ministry, she said, was strengthening collaboration with the African Union Development Agency and the United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to deepen the impact of the festival and invited other institutions to join the partnership.
“The festival would focus on indigenous ingredients, forgotten recipes, preventive health and well-being, culinary tourism, youth-led innovations and agribusiness linkages, while positioning Ghana as a culinary hub for Africa,” she added.
Mr Symerre Grey-Johnson, Director, Human Capital & Institutional Development, African Union Development Agency, who was the Special Guest, said Africa’s cultural and creative sectors were being recognised as critical drivers of economic growth with stakeholders calling for greater investment to transform the continent from a source of inspiration into a major producer and exporter of cultural value.
Africa’s creative economy, spanning fashion, film, music, gastronomy, sports, beauty, textiles, media and the arts, had the potential to create millions of jobs for young people and women while driving trade, innovation and enterprise development, he said.
The Director said food remained one of the strongest expressions of African identity, preserving history, culture and indigenous knowledge across generations, while also serving as a catalyst for growth in agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, hospitality, branding and exports.
He expressed the optimism that AfroGastro would help to reposition African cuisine from a cultural heritage asset into a viable economic industry.
He said discussions were underway to place the continent’s cuisine and gastronomy on the African Union agenda and develop initiatives that would strengthen storytelling, tourism, branding and knowledge systems around African food traditions.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Patrick Ofoe Nudzi