President John Dramani Mahama has announced a combined GH¢40 million government allocation to Ghana’s film and creative arts sectors, with the film industry receiving half of that sum as a dedicated injection to strengthen local production hubs across the country.
Delivering his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) to Parliament in Accra on Friday, February 27, 2026, President Mahama said GH¢20 million had been earmarked for the National Film Authority (NFA) and a further GH¢20 million for the Creative Arts Agency (CAA) as part of the 2026 national budget.
“The government has allocated 20 million Ghana cedis to the film sector alone. This is going to the film sector to support Kumawood and Gallywood and all the woods,” he told lawmakers. “Mr. Speaker, another 20 million has been given for the other creative sectors. I believe that this fair injection of money will boost our creative sectors.”
The announcement positions human creativity as a strategic economic pillar, particularly in the face of rising automation. Mahama argued that the creative economy would be critical to absorbing workers displaced by artificial intelligence and shifting industrial processes.
“Our economy will not be built only by traditional sectors but also by human creativity, human creativity sectors that will absorb those people who will be displaced from the shop floor by the new AI technologies that are being rolled out,” he said.
The President pointed to new-media creatives as already punching above their weight in projecting Ghana’s global image and pledged to act as a personal advocate for the sector. “Mr. Speaker, I wish to assure the creative industry and the Ministry of Tourism that I will be your personal ambassador for the promotion of tourism and the creative sector,” he told the House.
Beyond direct funding, Mahama unveiled a raft of infrastructure plans to underpin the creative economy. These include the refurbishment of the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), the renovation of the National Theatre of Ghana, which is expected to begin within the next few weeks, and the development of a new convention and creative events centre through a public-private partnership. He also announced plans to renovate the State Banquet Hall, which has been closed for several years.
“The AICC is not enough for a country seeking to make its creative sector West Africa’s destination for meetings, conferences, musical concerts, and entertainment,” Mahama said, adding that the new facility would position Ghana as the leading hub in the region for such events.
Ghana’s creative industry, particularly its film sector, has long faced underfunding and distribution challenges despite producing content that resonates across the continent. The GH¢40 million combined allocation is among the largest direct budgetary commitments to the sector in the country’s recent history.
