CAA, NFA, Copyright Ghana to lead talks on creatives’ pension scheme

The Creative Arts Agency (CAA), National Film Authority (NFA) and Copyright Ghana will lead stakeholder discussions on a sustainable pension and social security programme for Ghanaian creative professionals.

The dialogue, dubbed “My Art, My Ark! Dialogue”, is scheduled for Monday, 2 November 2026, at the British Council in Accra, beginning at 12:30 p.m.

The initiative is being organised by the CAA and NFA in partnership with Copyright Ghana and its Collective Management Organisations (CMOs): CopyGhana, ARSOG and GHAMRO, with support from the British Council, Accra.

The engagement seeks to develop a roadmap towards establishing a social security programme that responds to the financial security and long-term welfare needs of Ghanaian creative professionals.

Pension schemes provide a mechanism for individuals to build financial security for retirement through contributions accumulated during their working lives. However, creative professionals often face distinctive employment and income challenges, including freelance engagements, irregular earnings and limited access to conventional employment benefits.

These realities raise an important question: How can Ghana develop a sustainable pension arrangement that accommodates the diverse working conditions and income patterns of its creative workforce?

Beyond individual contributions, the proposed initiative brings into focus the role of government, relevant public institutions, industry organisations and other stakeholders in creating the policy, regulatory and administrative conditions necessary to make such a programme possible.

The dialogue is expected to provide a platform for brainstorming practical, inclusive and sustainable approaches to extending social security opportunities to creatives across Ghana’s diverse creative arts and cultural industries.

The initiative is linked to a manifesto commitment under the Black Star Experience to establish and promote “career security through legal and financial protection and mass pension schemes”.

Translating this commitment into a workable programme will require coordination among relevant government agencies, collective management organisations, creative industry associations and the professionals who stand to benefit from the proposed arrangement.

Key considerations include how creatives with irregular incomes can participate, the potential contribution structure, the institutional framework for implementation and the measures required to ensure the programme’s long-term sustainability.

The stakeholder dialogue is intended to contribute to a roadmap for addressing these issues and advancing discussions towards a social security framework tailored to the realities of Ghana’s creative economy.

As Ghana continues to explore ways of strengthening its creative economy, the proposed dialogue places an important issue on the industry agenda: ensuring that the people whose talents, ideas and intellectual contributions generate cultural and economic value can also work towards a more financially secure future.