Tourism Ministry launches 2026 Afro Gastro Festival and Heritage Photography Competition

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts has officially launched the 2026 Afro Gastro Festival and the National Heritage Photography Competition at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra on Friday, May 29, 2026.

Speaking at the launch, the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, said this year’s edition of the Afro Gastro Festival will bring together key players in Africa’s culinary and creative sectors to promote cultural exchange and strengthen partnerships.

According to her, the event will go beyond cooking activities with members of the diplomatic community and create opportunities for chefs, culinary innovators, traditional food practitioners, nutritionists, cultural scholars and entrepreneurs across the continent to collaborate.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this year’s edition in addition to cooking with the diplomatic community will also bring together chefs and culinary innovators from across Africa, traditional food practitioners and indigenous knowledge bearers, food historians, nutritionists and cultural scholars as well as creative entrepreneurs in the food and beverage sector,” she said.

The minister also highlighted the ministry’s continued collaboration with the African Union Development Agency and UNESCO, noting that the partnership is being expanded to achieve greater impact.

“This year we are redefining the collaboration between the three of us, being the African Union and UNESCO, to ensure that we achieve more and impact more,” she stated.

She further called on more institutions and agencies to support the initiative, stressing the importance of collaboration in preserving and promoting Ghana’s cultural heritage.

“As the saying goes, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. We want to work with you,” she added.

Touching on the National Heritage Photography Competition, Abla Dzifa Gomashie explained that the initiative is aimed at empowering young people to document and preserve Ghana’s rich cultural heritage through photography.

Launched under the theme, “Promoting Creativity and Heritage Through the Eyes of the Youth,” the competition is open to young people aged 25 and below.

“The competition provides the opportunity for young people aged 25 and below to employ their creative skills to highlight the country’s rich, intangible and tangible cultural heritage,” she noted.

She also described the Afro Gastro Festival as Ghana’s premier platform for celebrating African culinary heritage and using food as a tool for cultural diplomacy.

“We are also here for the launch of the 2026 edition of the Afro Gastro Festival, which has become Ghana’s premier platform for celebrating African culinary heritage,” the minister said.

The 2026 edition is expected to attract participants and stakeholders from across Africa and beyond as Ghana continues to position itself as a hub for culture, tourism and creative arts.