ACCRA — Ghana’s creative industry is failing its own talent, according to spoken word artist and arts advocate Oswald Okaitei, who says success in the sector now depends less on hard work and more on “who knows you.”
In an interview with Graphic Showbiz on Sunday, July 12 2026, Okaitei argued that the biggest challenge facing creatives is not a lack of ability, but a system that ignores merit and only pays attention after artists have already struggled, or died.
“There is no support in the creative space,” he said. “It’s not even about whom you know anymore; it’s about who knows you. If you approach institutions for support, it often feels like they are doing you a favour because they know you. It shouldn’t be that way. Once you qualify, you should be able to access support without begging.
He said Padiki spent years working with little institutional support. There were times she showed up to exhibitions without basic materials because she couldn’t afford them. At other times she offered free services just to build a name and stay visible.
Yet after she won an international record and gained global recognition, many of the same people and institutions who had ignored her suddenly wanted to associate with her.
“People knew her worth, but what did they do to help build her brand?” Okaitei asked. “That is the story of so many creatives in this country. We are celebrated in death, but neglected in life
Okaitei said he, and fellow creatives like Nana Asaase and Chief Moomen, regularly fund their own productions out of pocket. The problem, he added, is that after investing their own money, they are then hit with huge taxes.
“The system is such that if you organise a programme with your own money, they come after you with huge taxes,” he said. “Where is the money to pay? What is the system doing to support us he warned that this cycle is pushing many talented people out of the industry or into poverty.
“There are many creatives who die poor, not because they were irresponsible, but because the system failed them,” he said Many people still see us only as entertainers instead of professionals who contribute to the country’s economy and development,” he said. “That is why national programmes such as the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme, NEIP, don’t even make provisions for creatives.”
He said this narrow view means the creative sector is left out of funding, training, and policy frameworks that could help it grow into a real economic driver.
Without formal support structures, artists are forced to rely on personal networks, favors, and luck — rather than transparent systems based on qualifications and output
Okaitei contrasted Ghana’s situation with other countries where creative work is treated as a viable career with long-term financial returns.
“In other parts of the world, a musician can release one song and live off it for years,” he said. “Here, you can release back-to-back hits, die poor, and people will still blame the creative.”he pointed to weak copyright enforcement, piracy, and lack of investment as additional factors that make it difficult for Ghanaian artists to earn sustainable income from their work
Ghanaian filmmaker Socrate Safo recently published an open letter on Facebook urging creatives in government to move beyond talking about problems and start implementing solutions.
Safo listed poor funding, weak copyright protection, piracy, and lack of investment as issues that have been discussed for years without meaningful action.for Okaitei, the fix starts with treating creatives as professionals and building systems that support them before they break throughMaking the creative sector a core part of national entrepreneurship and development programmes.
“Once you qualify, you should be able to access support without begging,” he reiterated. “That is how every other serious industry work so okaitei acknowledged that many young creatives are still entering the space with passion and talent. But without structural change, he fears Ghana will continue to lose them — either to other countries, to other careers, or to poverty
“We cannot keep waiting until people win world records or die before we say their name,” he said. “We need to see them, support them, and invest in them while they are here.”for now, Okaitei says he will keep advocating, producing, and funding his own work. But he hopes that one day, Ghana’s creative industry will reward talent first — and connections second.
