Ghana’s Creative Talent Pool Runs Deeper Than the Industry Sees

 

Ghana’s creative economy may be drawing from a far larger pool of young talent than the mainstream industry currently sees, as young people across the country develop skills in music, dance, production, fashion and other creative fields.

But for many of these young people, talent alone is not enough to build a career. The bigger challenge is gaining access to platforms, audiences, mentorship and professional networks that can turn an ability developed through passion into a sustainable livelihood.

A nationwide youth talent search by Nescafé has offered a glimpse into that largely untapped pool, bringing forward young singers, rappers, dancers, producers and fashion creatives, including participants with skills extending across several creative disciplines.

The auditions also showed that creative talent is not confined to particular locations or expressed in a single form. Different campuses revealed different strengths, while some participants were already using their skills to teach, mentor or influence others within their communities.

For Lily Boatemaa Ntim, Category Development Manager for Nescafé Ghana, the experience went beyond finding performers for a competition. It revealed the depth of ability among young people and the opportunities that could emerge if more of them received the support needed to develop their talents.

She said the programme uncovered young people who already had considerable skills but lacked the platforms and exposure to take those abilities further.

At an audition at KNUST, for example, the team encountered a participant who was a singer, producer and songwriter, capable of producing his own beats, writing songs and performing them.

Dance produced similar discoveries, with some participants already teaching others and creating informal platforms through which they shared their skills.

“They were their own teachers. They were teaching other people,” Ntim said.

She said performing before a wider audience also gave some participants the opportunity to develop abilities they had not previously had the chance to fully explore.

The potential became evident at the competition’s singing finale, where Joshuanda emerged as the standout performer of the night and was crowned the first winner of the category.

Her victory came with a GH¢30,000 cash prize and Nescafé products, while Kweku Winna, who placed second, received GH¢10,000. This Kid finished third and received GH¢5,000.

Beyond the prize money, the competition gave participants an opportunity to perform before wider audiences, gain experience in a competitive entertainment environment and build visibility at a stage in their careers when access to such opportunities can be limited.

For Ntim, that visibility is important because many young creatives have the ability but lack the platforms through which industry players and wider audiences can discover them.

The experience, she said, also showed why youth-focused platforms need to go beyond simply identifying talent and create opportunities for young people to improve their skills, build confidence and connect their abilities to wider professional opportunities.