Last week, I had coffee with the Chief Marketing Officer of a major bank. She asked a simple question: “Why should we sponsor the Afahye?” I gave her the numbers. Then she went quiet.

The Oguaa Fetu Afahye attracts more than 100,000 visitors within a single week. But that is only part of the story.

Every major event is streamed live online. Every activation is filmed. Every performance is recorded and shared. The content lives far beyond the festival itself, circulating for months on YouTube, social media platforms, news websites and community networks across the world.

So the real audience is not just the people physically present in Cape Coast. The actual reach is estimated at between 500,000 and 1 million people through live streams, online engagement, and repeat views.

Now let’s talk about value.

A sponsorship investment of about GH¢1 million can generate between 500,000 and one million impressions. That places the cost per impression between GH¢1 and GH¢2.

At first glance, that may appear higher than some traditional advertising platforms. Television advertising averages between GH¢0.50 and GH¢1.50 per impression. Radio ranges between GH¢0.10 and GH¢0.30, while digital ads can cost as little as GH¢0.05 to GH¢0.15 per impression.

But festival sponsorship delivers something traditional advertising often struggles to achieve — emotional engagement.

Festival patrons are not passive audiences. They interact directly with brands. They take photos, post content online, share experiences with friends and family and become part of the story.

That kind of engagement significantly boosts brand recall.

Research shows festival sponsorships can drive brand recall rates of between 40% and 60%, compared to just 15% to 25% for conventional advertising.

In practical terms, achieving the same level of brand recall through traditional advertising channels could cost between GH¢2 million and GH¢3 million.

So, a GH¢1 million sponsorship at the Afahye could potentially generate media and brand value worth two to three times that amount before a company acquires a single customer.

After hearing the figures, the executive looked at me and asked, “When do we sign up?”

The real question is: why wouldn’t you?

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The author, Charlotte Osei, also known as Nana Ama Kesson, is Chair of the Oguaa Fetu Afahye Planning Committee.