Entertainment
Oswald Okaitei Explains the Real Vision Behind Ghana’s Black Star Experience
Oswald Okaitei has provided a detailed explanation of the original concept behind the Black Star Experience, arguing that the programme was designed as a straightforward and executable government initiative aimed at using Ghana’s culture, arts and tourism sectors to drive national identity, tourism and job creation.
Speaking on the Kessben Entertainment show on Kessben Radio/TV with host Kojo Preko Dankwa, Mr Okaitei said the initiative, as outlined from the perspective of the NDC Manifesto Committee, was fundamentally intended to be a deliberate government-led investment in Ghana’s cultural and creative heritage.
According to him, the programme was built around three main objectives: reviving Ghanaian cultural heritage and strengthening national self-identity, making Ghana a preferred tourism destination—at least within the sub-region—and creating employment opportunities.
Mr Okaitei explained that the manifesto had already outlined several ways through which the objectives of the Black Star Experience could be achieved.
The first, he said, was through investment in the existing domains of the Ministry responsible for tourism, culture and the arts, which are already managed through government institutions and agencies.
He mentioned institutions such as the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), National Commission on Culture, Ghana Tourism Development Company (GTDC) and the Creative Arts Agency (CAA) as examples.
He argued that under this approach, the performance and achievements of the various agencies could directly contribute to measuring the success of the Black Star Experience.
“By this, any success achieved by any of the agencies is a success measure of the flagship programme,” he explained.
The second component, according to Mr Okaitei, involved special initiatives and investments designed to strengthen Ghana’s cultural and tourism infrastructure.
He cited proposals such as the construction of a second National Theatre in Kumasi and the development of a new city in the Volta Region as examples.
He noted that if such projects were successfully executed, they would also constitute tangible success measures of the Black Star Experience.
Mr Okaitei said another major component of the programme, which has attracted considerable public attention, is Tourism 360.
He explained that Tourism 360 was conceived as a year-round tourism programme intended to boost both domestic and international tourism by creating a structured calendar around Ghana’s diverse cultural heritage.
Under the concept, different aspects of Ghanaian culture would be highlighted and celebrated each month.
Among the examples he mentioned were a month dedicated to Ghanaian food and medicine, another focusing on Ghanaian sports heritage, a month for Ghanaian clothing and fashion, and another dedicated to Ghanaian literary heritage.
The monthly activities, he said, could take different forms, including colloquiums, conversations, festivals, concerts and other cultural events.
Mr Okaitei further explained that the Tourism 360 component was not necessarily intended to mean that government would personally organise every event on the calendar.
Instead, he said, the model was expected to encourage individuals, institutions, organisations and corporate bodies with an interest in promoting Ghanaian culture and tourism to submit proposals for consideration.
He compared the proposed approach to the model used for Ghana Month, where interested stakeholders can develop activities around the celebration.
According to him, successful proposals would be incorporated into the Black Star Experience activities for the relevant month, while the proponents would largely take responsibility for funding their projects.
This, he suggested, would allow government to provide coordination, promotion and an overarching national framework without necessarily bearing the entire financial burden of every activity.
Based on this structure, Mr Okaitei expressed the view that implementing the Black Star Experience should not be particularly difficult.
He maintained that the initiative was designed around existing government institutions, targeted investments and partnerships with private-sector and other stakeholders.
“By this, I do not think executing this beautiful programme should be a problem,” he said.
Mr Okaitei said his explanation formed the basis of his submission during his appearance on the Kessben Entertainment programme on Kessben Radio/TV.
He argued that the Black Star Experience should therefore be understood as a broad national framework for coordinating investments, cultural activities, tourism promotion and creative-sector development rather than being limited to a single event or activity.
