Ghana has boldly embarked on what is referred to as Africa’s very first gastronomy festival – AfroGastro Festival 2025 (or African Gastronomy Festival 2025). This kickoff festival took place in Accra, Ghana’s capital, at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. The event was officially opened by the Tourism Minister of Ghana, Alba Dzifa Gomashie.
The event is more than a gastronomy fair
Minister Gomashie pointed out that AfroGastro is more than a fair and draws the diverse culture of Africa. This is a festival that influences culture, economic growth, and the movement of people. Festivals of this kind open the door to more diplomatic contacts. Gomashie stated:
“Food is an archive of history and an instrument of diplomacy.”
With the expectation of many attendees, the festival was designed to showcase the rich culinary traditions of Africa and the ties of connection, unity, and bonds that can result from it, irrespective of diverse languages and traditions. Culture is constructed from, and enhanced by, the many culinary attributes of a people.
According to the ministry, 14 diplomatic missions that officially wished to come celebrate culinary diplomacy pointed to the international interest the festival attracted. Ghana’s culinary festivals, as described by the ministry, help demonstrate Ghana’s goal of being a culinary tourism hub in Africa. Food tourism, investment, and economic impetus.
One of the festival’s main focuses was to spark investment in the country
Ghana’s Ministry of Tourism, Hospitality, and Creative Arts stated that the private sector and hospitality and the creative industries should invest in African food brands, culinary tourism, and food innovation hubs.
The event highlighted the intersection of gastronomy with agriculture, tourism, culture, technology, and trade.
“Food diplomacy is real.”
The festival is also part of broader initiatives, such as “Black Star Experience”, which aims to attract the diaspora and the world to Ghana through cultural heritage.
With the slogan “Africa is open for culinary business”, the festival offered a key message that Africa has a unique culinary narrative to offer the world. The maiden AfroGastro festival included live cooking demonstrations and food tasting stands from several countries, where cuisine was integrated with music, dance, and cultural performances.
What does Ghana’s future look like?
As Ghana launches the festival’s first edition, the next steps will be crucial:
- Will Ghana and host partners be able to scale the event to a significant annual continental convergence on gastronomy and culture?
- Will the envisioned private sector investment flow to African food brands, culinary tourism infrastructure, and innovation hubs?
- Will the relationship of food tourism be to other foundational pillars like heritage tourism, engagement with diaspora, and creative-economy development?
Travel and Tour Worlds’ report on the festival says:
“The event underscored how African gastronomy can serve as a bridge – connecting cultures, driving tourism, and shaping the continent’s image through the universal language of food.”
Showcasing the culinary traditions of the African continent
The ministry noted that food is the most delicious form of dialogue among nations, people, and families.
Global cuisine has become a prominent form of cultural diplomacy, and this festival aims to harness that impact.
The AfroGastor Festival brings together chefs, diplomats, cultural institutions, and entrepreneurs toward a common vision – to make food a medium of exchange, identity, and development. As the minister highlighted, food culture and culinary tourism are not secondary luxuries.
National pride and the pride of a nation on a global scale are intertwined with the tourism and food culture of a nation. The festival in Ghana will be a first for the nation and for AfroGastro as a form of culinary diplomacy. As countries are competing for global recognition using soft power and cultural influence, Ghana’s launch of Africa’s first gastronomy festival marks a new beginning, showcasing food as a means of connection and advancement.