Government has called for increased investment in capacity-building programmes to strengthen Ghana's creative industry and equip professionals with the entrepreneurial skills needed to compete globally.

The call was made by the Presidential Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko (KOD), at the Business of Interior Design Masterclass, a training programme designed to equip aspiring interior designers with business knowledge, entrepreneurial skills and a global outlook.

Speaking at the event, Mr Okyere Darko said many Ghanaian creatives possess exceptional talent but often overlook the business aspects of their professions, limiting their ability to build sustainable enterprises.

"There are quite a number of people, especially in the area of creativity itself, who focus on just the creative aspects and not the business bits," he said.

He urged organisers to expand similar initiatives beyond interior design to benefit professionals across the wider creative economy.

"I would want us to even go beyond the core space of interior design to attract fashion designers, people in the clothing space. We could also expand it to affect people in the film industry and, of course, the music industry as well.

"So we could make it more of an orange economy event, one that affects people and attracts people from all walks of life in the creative industry and not be limited to just interior design," he added.

Convener of the programme, Dr Victory Njoko, said the masterclass was created to help creatives develop the business mindset and strategic skills required to build profitable and globally competitive brands.

"We find out that Africans are very creative. Africans are so creative, but they lack the business structure and the strategy on how to propel themselves to become better brand authorities—global brand authorities, more like it," she said.

"This masterclass is going to elevate them mentally, and it's going to elevate them financially as well."

Dr Njoko noted that Ghana's expanding real estate sector, rapid urbanisation and increasing demand for well-designed residential and commercial spaces present significant opportunities for interior designers.

However, she stressed that creativity alone is no longer sufficient to succeed in the industry.

"The future of Africa's creative industry depends on combining talent with business knowledge," she said, encouraging creatives to embrace continuous learning and support locally produced goods and services.

Participants described the training as impactful, saying it had provided practical tools for managing clients and growing their businesses.

One participant said the programme had helped address challenges encountered in dealing with clients.

"This has been a good experience for me because the things I lacked whenever I was working with clients have now become clearer. The training and learning here have opened my mind on how to deal with clients," the participant said.

Another participant highlighted the networking opportunities created through the masterclass.

"I've been able to meet people, network and convert this masterclass into something I can also make sales from," the participant said.

Industry observers say Ghana's creative economy—spanning fashion, design, film, music, architecture and the visual arts—has significant potential to create jobs, drive innovation and contribute to economic growth. They argue that strengthening business and entrepreneurial capacity among creatives will be key to unlocking the sector's full potential and positioning Ghana as a leading player in Africa's growing creative economy.