The National Federation of Masqueraders and Fancy Dress of Ghana (NFMFD-GH) 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 approach, 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 country’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, known for his extensive experience in sustainable carnival development across Africa and the Caribbean.

Other members of the delegation include Mr Michael Roberts, Ms Jemma Jordan (Voice of Carnival), Ms Claudette Antoine, and Ms Shirley Boston of Carnival USA. Their mandate will be to collaborate with Ghanaian stakeholders to facilitate the successful development and implementation of the Black Star Carnival structure.

Announcing the initiative, Dr Benjamin Oduro Arhin Jnr, speaking on behalf of the Federation, emphasized the economic importance of the project.

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

He further explained that a visitor who attends a district-level celebration may be encouraged to follow the experience through regional events and ultimately to the grand finale at the Black Star Square in Accra.

The carnival structure is designed to achieve three key objectives:

• Attract cultural tourism across all sixteen regions
• Generate tax revenue through formalised events
• Create sustainable income streams for stakeholders within the masquerade value chain

These stakeholders include costume designers, mask carvers, performers, event organisers, transport operators, and hospitality providers.

Dr Arhin Jnr noted that with international collaboration, the Black Star Carnival has the potential to position Ghana as a leading cultural tourism destination in West Africa while preserving the uniqueness of its masquerade traditions.

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

The inaugural edition of the carnival is expected to commence later this year following the technical advisory visit.

The Federation is working closely with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts to ensure the successful rollout of the initiative.

Dr Arhin Jnr, popularly known as Bnoskka, further revealed that the visiting delegation will pay courtesy calls on the Speaker of Parliament and the Presidency, and will participate in a National Policy Dialogue on the development and implementation of the Black Star Carnival.