Ekow Sampson says culture is Ghana’s “economic power” at Black History Month summit

Ghana must treat its culture not only as heritage but as a strategic economic asset capable of driving tourism, investment and diaspora engagement, Ekow Sampson, Deputy Chief Executive (Operations) of the Ghana Tourism Authority, has said.

Speaking at the Black History Month summit organised by Asaase Broadcasting Company Ltd at the W. E. B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture, Sampson framed Black identity and African heritage as tools for national development rather than symbols of nostalgia.

“Culture is not just heritage — it is economic power,” he told the audience of scholars, creatives and diaspora leaders. “Black identity is not only something to protect; it’s something to project, to monetise responsibly, to repackage authentically and position globally.”

Opening his remarks with calls for unity and pride, Sampson said the venue itself carried deep symbolic weight, describing the Du Bois Centre as a spiritual and intellectual space that embodies the connection between Africa and its diaspora.

He highlighted the historic partnership between Kwame Nkrumah and W. E. B. Du Bois, saying their collaboration demonstrated how “Black thought, when united across oceans, can shift the course of history.”

According to him, the challenge for contemporary leaders is not only to remember that legacy but to build on it.

“We are not here merely to remember,” Sampson said. “We are here to interrogate what we have learned and ask what we are building.”

Positioning tourism as central to that agenda, he said Ghana has intentionally crafted itself as a spiritual and cultural home for the diaspora through initiatives such as Year of Return and December in GH, as well as expanded heritage tourism and creative arts programming.

“These are not accidents,” he noted. “They are deliberate strategies to make Ghana the bridge between memory and the future.”

Sampson added that Pan-Africanism today must move beyond sentiment and operate as policy — driving diplomacy, economic alignment and cultural sovereignty.

“Pan-Africanism is not nostalgia. It is strategy,” he said, urging participants to leave the summit with a renewed sense of responsibility to translate history into action.

The summit brought together government officials, academics, cultural figures and members of the diaspora to discuss African heritage, identity and global connections, with sessions focused on history, policy and creative expression.