It’s Ghana Month and we couldn't be more proud as our founder is Ghanaian. 

March is set apart to celebrate the country’s rich  culture and all it has to offer the world. Things like ‘wear Ghana’, and ‘Eat Ghana’ are common phrases you will hear during the month.

This year, we go beyond and spotlight twenty creatives, musicians and entrepreneurs from or based in Ghana you need to know about. 

As ''WE WEAR'' and ''EAT GHANA'', we also encourage you to listen, read and engage Ghana.

Here’s a list of 20 of fast rising talents shaping and pushing the boundaries of the creative industry in Ghana and internationally across a range of mediums and practices. In no particular order, here are some of the names to know, follow and support their work. 

1. Kuukuwaa Eshun 

American filmmaker, artist, and writer Kuukua Eshun is of Ghanaian descent. Through her writing and movies, Kuukua promotes social issues and mental health. Her art is embedded in Afrocentric visuals and inspired by her heritage.  She is the co-founder of Boxedkids and Skate Gal Club.

 She has worked with numerous platforms such as Michaela Coel, Vic Mensa, Huawei, Facebook, Variety Magazine, Lifetime TV, The Economist. In 2021, she collaborated with Wizkid to create a short film for Wizkid’s ‘Made In Lagos’ album.

She was nominated for the Best Documentary at Ghana Movies Award in 2021 for her film, which premiered at the Museum Ostwall Im Dortmunder U in Germany the following year. 

2. Ekow Barnes

Richmond Ekow Barnes is a fashion writer and creative strategist. Ekow describes his work as one “pushing emerging talents and showing their works to the rest of the world”.

He is a contributing writer for Vogue Italia & GQ South Africa and the Guardian. Barnes has worked with big brands like Essence, Uber and Mercedes Benz. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Public Relations and Image Management from BlueCrest University in Accra.

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He is currently the executive creative producer and cofounder of WBGroups, a creative production company in Ghana.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ekowbarnes_?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY

3. Nana Oforiatta Ayim

Filmmaker, writer and art historian, Nana Oforiatta Ayim is the founder of ANO Institute of Arts and Knowledge in Accra. Oforiatta uses the Ayan concept - a form of storytelling in Ghana - as a structural principle for her film works.

Her works have been featured at LACMA, Tate Modern and The New Museum. She is the author of God’s Child, a novel which was published in 2019. She is a recipient of the Art & Technology Award from LACMA, 2015 and was named as one of 100 African women making history in 2020 by Okayafrica.

She holds a Master’s degree in African Art History from SOAS University of London. Ayim was named as a Special Advisor to the Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture in Ghana and Director at Large for Ghana’s Museums and Cultural Heritage.

Photo: Fifi Abban 
Source: nanaOforiattaAyi.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nanaoforiattaayim?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY=

4. Ibrahim Mahama 

36-year-old Ghanaian entrepreneur, creative and author, Ibrahim Mahama was the youngest artist featured in the Ghana Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale.

Mahama studied painting and art at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and has since started initiatives like the Savannah Center for Contemporary Art (SCCA) and the Red Clay Studio in Tamale, Ghana.

He is famous for using ‘useless’ or ‘common’ materials into a transformation of art pieces that explore globalisation, economics and urban living. His art pieces have been featured in numerous exhibitions in Ghana, London and Dublin. 

Source: White Cube, Artsy, Artnet
https://instagram.com/ibrahimmahama3?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY=

5. Frederica Brooksworth

Frederica Brooksworth is a British-Ghanaian researcher and academic. She lectures at schools like College of Fashion, British Fashion School of Fashion and Conde Nast College of Fashion and Design.

She founded the Council for International African Fashion Education (CIAFE) to help “advance and decentralised fashion education and research in Africa to enhance Africa’s fashion ecosystem and propel sustainable development and economic growth”.

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She obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from London College of Fashion in Fashion Marketing and Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation respectively. She joined Industrie Africa as a director of AI Connect in 2022.

 Instagram: https://instagram.com/fbrooksworth?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY=

6. Black Sherif

Deep, Unique and natural describes Mohammed Ismail Sherif Kwaku Frimpong’s music. 

Professionally known as Black Sherif, the twenty one year old musician is a native of Konono Zongo, a suburb in Kumasi where he picked up music and dance as a child. Black Sherif started his music career in 2021 and has since produced hit music like First and Second Sermon which featured Burna Boy in a remix.

He rose to prominence Internationally with his single, Kweku The Traveller,  charting as Number in Ghana and Nigeria on Apple Music in 2022. Though young in the game, Black Sherif has received numerous awards and nominations including receiving the Artiste of the Year at Ghana Music Awards UK in 2022 and SoundCity MVP  Hip Hop Artiste of the year, 2023. 

Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kukuwaashun1023

7. Gyakie

Jacqueline Acheampong is a Ghanaian songstress and songwriter from Kumasi. She started singing at a young age and began making music professionally in 2019.

She has since released songs like ‘Forever’, ‘Something’ , and ‘Far away’. Her music has topped charts like Billboard Top Triller Global and Shazam Top 200. She has won awards like Headie Music Awards Best West African Artiste Of the Year, 3Music Awards Woman of the Year and Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Best New Artiste of the Year in 2022 and 2021 respectively.

Gyakie was a guest artiste at the first ever Global Citizen Festival in Africa at the Black Square Center in Accra, 2022.

She graduated from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with a Bachelor’s in International Business in 2021. 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gyakie_?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY=

8. Benewaa Boateng

Benewaa Boateng wears many hats; she is a music curator, writer, marketing consultant and founder of Harmattan Rain, a music and arts platform for emerging talents in Africa. 

Founded in 2016, Harmattan Rain aims to tell the African story through art and music. She has worked on music marketing campaigns with brands such as Apple Music and Teen Vogue.

Boateng was named one of Honorees for 2021 Alternative Power Music List  by Shesaid. She currently works at Spotify as an Editorial Manager.

Benewaah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Ghana.

Credit: Tech Nova
Instagram: https://instagram.com/stingg.jpg?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY=

9. Prince Gyasi 

Prince Gyasi is a visual artist and cofounder of Boxkids, a non-profit organization committed to  helping underprivileged children in Accra have access to education.

Gyasi is a visual storyteller who uses his art to represent his generation and community. His work, which uses bold contrast and block colors to make viewers experience his world of synesthesia, a phenomenon that causes unusual overlap between the senses, such as hearing color as sound or connecting color with words. 

His distinctive style encourages viewers to step inside his world. With his own, vibrant universe, he captures the grace and vitality of his generation, which is free of outdated ideas about sexuality, ethnicity, and conventional societal mores. 

He was signed to Nil Gallery Paris in 2018 which gave him the chance to exhibit his art pieces at multiple art fairs in the USA, UK and Europe and recognised by Vanity Fair as one of the top 9 visual artists to follow in 2018.

10. Joseph Darko

Joseph Awuah Darko also known as Okuntakinte is a Ghanaian social entrepreneur and philanthropist.

He is the president of Institute Museum of Ghana and Director of the Noldor Artist Residency, a residency and fellowship program for Ghanaian artists. Darko has been featured in Forbes Africa 30under30 and Financial Times.

He curated his first international exhibition on February 5th, 2023 at Sotheby’s Tel Aviv dubbed, Contemporary Redefined: Africa Today. He is a graduate from Ghana’s Ashesi University.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/okuntakinte?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY=

11. Debbie Beeko

A fashionista in every sense of the word. Debbie is one of fashion influencers in Africa killing it in the industry. She is a fashion blogger, stylist and make up artist based in Accra.

Debbie is the co-founder of Vintage and pre-loved store, The Bougie Bend Down and founder of and Bjuku DIY, a clothing brand. She writes on lifestyle and beauty on her blog, debbsbjuku.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/debbs_bjuku?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY=

12. Nana Ofori-Atta Asomani 

Nana Ofori-Atta Asomani is a professional freelance photographer from Ghana.His work can be described as capturing ordinary moments in an extraordinary way.

Inspired by his surroundings, Asomani sees photography as an original approach for him to share his viewpoint on life. Since he was in his early teens, Asomani has been practicing photography, but up until 2018, he only saw it as a pastime. 

His work has been displayed in various prestigious publications such as Dazed Magazine, Adidas London. Ofori has worked for clients like Dortmund, Puma, and GQ.

13. Richmond Orlando Mensah

For everything Black culture, Black creatives, Contemporary African Fashion and Photography, Manju Journal is the place to turn to. It is a digital platform dedicated to amplifying the works of Black creatives to the rest of the world.

Manju Journal was started in 2015 by Richmond Mensah and has since collaborated with the likes of Burberry, Gucci and Daze. Mensah describes himself as an artistic director and cultural strategist.

He studied French and Linguistics at the University of Ghana. He has worked as a communications officer at the office of the Year of Return, Ghana and as a Project Coordinator with the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana.

He was also selected as a jury on Sony World Photography Awards, British Journal of Photography (Portrait of Humanity), and UNFUND photo awards.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/orlandofficialle?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY=

14. Kusi Kubi

Kusi Kubi is a spectacular designer and Fashion Director of Manju Journal. He is also the founder of clothing brand, PalmWine Ice cream, founded in 2019.

He has rich experience in fashion from working with brands and publications like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Amazon and many more. He has been featured in British Vogue. 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kusikubi?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY=

15. Ama Ofeibea Tetteh 

Ama Ofeibea Tetteh is the founder and Lead Creative Consultant of Chapter54, a boutique consultancy dedicated to help boost the African creative economy through research  and programming.

She has a background in graphics and communications, research, and program management, as well as academic credentials from Central St. Martins, Goldsmiths College, and SOAS. 

Ama has previously held positions at the British Council, Tom Fleming creative consultancy, and the international architectural firm Adjaye Associates (UK), as well as Head of Graphics and Archive at Adjaye Associates (GH). She currently serves as the Programme Manager for Àsikò Art School at CCA Lagos.

16. Francis Kokoroko

Francis Kokoroko is a freelance artist, writer and photographer. He graduated with a BSC in Computer Science from Ashesi University but decided to pursue photography full time.

He has since moved on to work with large media outlets like The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. His documentary works were exhibited at London,  Addis Foto in 2016 and Lagos Photo the following year. He was selected as a jury member for the World Press Photo in 2021.

17. Paul Ninson 

Paul Ninson is an experienced photographer, filmmaker and founder of Dikan center, a platform that aims to make visual education accessible to all. 

Dikan promotes African photographers and creatives to help them overcome obstacles that would otherwise slow their progress. Ninson studied Industrial Art at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana and later won a scholarship to study at the International Center of Photography in New York. 

In 2022,  Dikan opened as Africa’s biggest photography library in Accra, Ghana. The library houses over 30,000 archival books from across the continent and the African diaspora. The Center also has a photo studio, gallery, classrooms, workshops rooms and a fellowship program for photographers and artists.

18. Essé Dabla Attikpo

Essé Dabla-Attikpo is an art consultant and founder of This no be art, an art consultancy based in Accra. Essé is originally Togelese-Beninese but based in Ghana.

She is interested in helping Ghanaian and African artists grow and sell both in the local and international market. Ms Dabla-Attikpo has experience working as a curator for the European Union delegation to Ghana, Kuenyehia Trust for Contemporary Art, and Alliance Français.

19. Fiifi Abban 

Self-taught photographer, Fiifi Abban hails from Cape Coast in Ghana. He grew up loving photography and would take photos of everything interesting he sees.

He began as a creative, taking stunning photographs with his smartphone, and over time, developed and established his reputation as a noteworthy image-maker.

Fiifi has collaborated with notable companies and magazines like Charlotte Mensah, GQ SA, Johnnie Walker, Puma, New Balance, Spotify, and more. He is featured in Vogue Magazine and Dazed Digital. 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thefiifiabban?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

20. Steve French 

Steve French is a Ghanaian designer, illustrator and stylist. His fashion line of the same name is a modern one that emphasizes "honoring traditions to produce new aesthetic expressions.

" His designs are bright, eccentric and simply exquisite. He got the coveted GUCCI Fellowship in 2019. French attended Radford University College where he studied fashion. 

He has worked with clients including Vlisco & Co, Studio 189, Ghana’s Embassy in Ethiopia, the Australian Embassy, and the International Fashion Week and is famously known for being a stylist of Super model, Naomi Campbell.

He has worked with and styled other Ghanaian celebrities like Deborah Vanessa, Lydia Forson and Efya. Steve has been featured on platforms like GQ South Africa,CNN, iD Magazine, Netherlands and Vogue Magazine.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/steviefrenchie?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=