Ghana to Launch Annual Fashion Industry Report, Says Rex Omar

Ghana will begin publishing a yearly report on its fashion industry from next year, the Coordinator of the Black Star Experience Secretariat, Rex Omar, has announced.

He made the announcement at the first Black Star Fashion Week Summit, held at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, as first reported by Citi News. The summit brought together designers, government officials and other stakeholders to discuss growth, investment and international partnerships for the sector.

Those present included fashion designer Elikem Kumordzie, the Director of Diaspora Affairs at the Presidency, Kofi Okyere Darko, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Maame Efua Houadjeto.

According to Mr Omar, the planned Ghana Fashion Industry Report is intended to supply data and insights that can inform investment and policy choices. He said it would point out areas for growth, help businesses become stronger and give foreign partners and investors a better picture of the local industry.

Also read: KKD Urges Ghana to Treat Fashion as an Engine for Tourism and Jobs

He argued that drawing the scale of investment the sector needs would depend on dependable evidence to back the country's goals.

Mr Omar also said the secretariat intends to honour people whose talent and vision helped build Ghana's fashion industry. Many of these pioneers, he said, had made major contributions without being properly recognised, and their legacies should be preserved for younger generations.

He described the summit's theme, "Put Ghana On", as an expression of identity and a call for Ghanaian creativity to be placed at the heart of national development.

The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, told participants that the Black Star Experience should be seen as a way of life rather than a single event. She said the initiative was part of a wider push to promote Ghanaian culture, identity and creativity beyond individual programmes.

Ms Gomashie also announced that Ghana expects to welcome about 4,000 participants from across Africa for AFESTAC, a continental celebration of food, fashion, music, film and theatre, scheduled for 9 to 12 December 2026.

She explained that the idea grew out of her office's promotion of the Afrogastro concept, which caught the attention of the African Union. That interest led to a partnership aimed at widening the event's reach.

According to the minister, the AU asked for the event, originally planned for September, to be shifted to December so that it could be staged as a larger continental celebration. She said the partnership would give creatives the chance to display their work, meet industry players and pursue business deals.

The summit is part of broader efforts to promote Ghanaian fashion and creativity. President John Dramani Mahama is expected to appear on the runway at the Royal Senchi Hotel in Akosombo on 7 November.