The National Federation of Masqueraders and Fancy Dress of Ghana has unveiled plans to launch a nationwide carnival initiative designed to transform the country’s vibrant masquerade tradition into a structured, revenue-generating tourism product.

Dubbed the Black Star Carnival, the initiative will adopt a three-tiered structure beginning with district-level celebrations, progressing to regional durbars, and culminating in a grand national finale.

The programme aims to harness the cultural and economic potential of Ghana’s various fancy dress and masquerade traditions by creating a unified calendar of events that showcases the nation’s creative heritage to both domestic and international audiences.

To ensure the initiative benefits from global best practices, an international delegation from the global carnival community will visit Ghana to provide technical expertise and strategic guidance.

The visiting team includes Mr Henry Antoine, President of the World Carnival Commission, and Mr Pax Nindi, Chief Executive Officer of the World Carnival Commission and President of the Global Carnival Centre. Mr Nindi brings extensive experience in sustainable carnival practice and has worked widely across Africa and the Caribbean in developing festival infrastructure.

The delegation will also include key commission members such as Mr Michael Roberts, Ms Jemma Jordan (the Voice of Carnival), Ms Claudette Antoine, and Ms Shirley Boston of Carnival USA. Their role will be to collaborate with Ghanaian stakeholders to facilitate the creation, development, and successful implementation of the Black Star Carnival framework.

Announcing the initiative, Dr Benjamin Oduro Arhin Jnr, speaking on behalf of the Federation, emphasised the economic rationale behind the structured carnival model.

“This is about transforming what has historically been a community-based tradition into a sustainable creative industry,” Dr Oduro Arhin Jnr stated. “By coordinating our efforts from the district level through to the national stage, we create multiple touchpoints for tourism engagement.

The tourist who comes to witness the district celebration in the Volta Region may be inspired to follow the progression to the regional level and ultimately to the national climax at the Black Star Square.”

The carnival structure is designed to achieve three primary objectives: attracting cultural tourism to communities across all sixteen regions, generating tax revenue for the state through formalised events and services, and creating sustainable income streams for the numerous stakeholders involved in the masquerade value chain.

These stakeholders include costume designers, mask carvers, event organisers, transport operators, and hospitality providers, all of whom stand to benefit from increased patronage and the formalisation of what has largely remained an informal sector activity.

Dr Oduro Arhin Jnr noted that with international collaboration from experienced carnival practitioners, the Black Star Carnival would position Ghana as a premier destination for cultural tourism in West Africa while maintaining the distinct character of Ghana’s masquerade traditions.

The Federation has indicated that detailed guidelines for participation, including criteria for progression from district to regional and national levels, will be released in the coming weeks.

The inaugural edition of the carnival is expected to commence later in the year following the technical advisory visit from the international delegation.

The Federation is also working alongside the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts to ensure the successful launch of the Black Star Carnival.

According to Dr Arhin Jnr, popularly known as Bnoskka, the visiting delegation will pay courtesy calls on the Speaker of Parliament, the Presidency, and engage key stakeholders through a National Policy Dialogue on the development and implementation of the Black Star Carnival.