Madam Theresa Oparebea Ayoade, CEO of Charterhouse, has called for bold action to harness Africa’s youth-driven creative economy. Accordingly, he emphasized that the continent’s creative industries hold the key to job creation, economic growth, and cross-border prosperity.
She made the call during the Youth Prosperity Dialogue, part of the ongoing 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD), held under the theme: “Empowering SMEs, Women, and Youth for the Single Market: Innovate, Collaborate, Trade” at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Thursday, 5th February, 2026.
Madam Ayoade highlighted the transformative power of Africa’s creative sector, which spans music, film, fashion, media, gaming, festivals, events, advertising, publishing, and digital content. “Creative entrepreneurs are the cultural architects of the ecosystem. We build platforms, curate experiences, and invest in the creative economy, creating jobs and opportunities for young people to thrive,” she said.
Drawing on her 30-year experience producing events, building platforms, and developing talent through Charterhouse Productions and multimedia broadcasting, Ayoade gave practical examples of the sector’s economic impact. She cited the Telesel Ghana Music Awards Festival, which employs over a thousand people each edition, noting that even a single concert, production, or conference engages hundreds of strategists, technicians, designers, and support personnel.
Yet despite its potential, Ayoade stressed that African creativity struggles to scale across borders due to systemic barriers. “Africa is still not one market; it is 54 obstacles,” she said, recounting the logistical and financial challenges of moving a production crew and equipment from Ghana to São Tomé and Príncipe, which involved exorbitant flights, lengthy shipments, and delayed returns.
She identified several barriers limiting the growth of the creative economy: restrictive visa regimes, cumbersome customs processes, inefficient travel routes, and fragmented cross-border payment systems. She stressed that without the free movement of people, equipment, and capital, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would remain largely theoretical for creatives.
To overcome these challenges, Madam Ayoade proposed a five-point action plan: first, African governments must intentionally support creative enterprises through policies, funding instruments, infrastructure, and institutional backing. Second, policymakers should remove barriers to cross-border movement of people, goods, and intellectual property. Third, public-private partnerships should leverage established creative platforms to scale initiatives locally and continentally. Fourth, financial institutions and fintech companies must develop seamless cross-border payment and financing solutions tailored for creative entrepreneurs. Finally, AfCFTA and creative enterprises should collaborate to establish continental cultural platforms that project Africa’s creative industries globally.
“There is a renaissance of African pop culture around the world. Why not create a festival of African arts and culture, just as we do for sports with the African Games?” she asked. She emphasized that every creative project is a micro-economy, and multiplying these initiatives across borders can build a continental industry.
Madam Ayoade further added: “Africa’s youth are ready. Africa’s creativity is ready. It is our borders, our systems, and our level of intentional support that must now catch up. The question is not whether the creative economy can drive Africa’s prosperity. The question is whether we are ready to remove the barriers and back it with the seriousness it deserves.”
