Sierra Leone, Kenya Join Commonwealth Creative Economy Partnership

Sierra Leone and Kenya have become founding champions of the Commonwealth Creative Economy Partnership after signing Statements of Intent with The Akuna Group at CHOGM 2026.

The voluntary, country-led partnership is intended to connect creative talent with skills, investment, enterprise and markets across the Commonwealth and beyond. The full legal terms of the Statements of Intent were not provided in the report.

Dr David Moinina Sengeh, Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister, signed on behalf of Sierra Leone. Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr A. Korir Sing’Oei, signed for Kenya, while Sir Idris Elba signed for The Akuna Group.

The ceremony took place in the presence of Sierra Leone President Dr Julius Maada Bio. Hon. Joycelyn Tetteh MP also conveyed Ghana’s message of goodwill.

Focus on skills and creative livelihoods

The agreement is described as supporting President Bio’s human capital agenda in Sierra Leone and complementing Kenya’s Talanta Hela initiative. Sengeh said the country’s young people should be viewed as an investment priority.

“Our young people are not a problem to be managed; they are the resource to invest in,” he said.

Sing’Oei said the collaboration could provide “youth creative enterprises a route to market.”

Elba, who chairs The Akuna Group, said the organisation’s objective was to build connections that could help people earn livelihoods from their creative work and retain ownership of what they produce.

“And that’s really what we’re trying to do through Akuna. Bring people together, build those connections, and help turn creativity into opportunity, so more people can make a living from their talent and own what they create,” Elba said at One Commonwealth Night.

Training and financial innovation

One programme linked to the partnership is From Script to Screen with AI, developed by Akuna and Google with Curious Refuge. Supported by a US$1 million Google.org grant, it will train emerging filmmakers in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and South Africa.

The report also highlighted Akuna Wallet Ltd’s admission to the Bank of Ghana’s one-year regulatory sandbox in January 2026. The supervised programme is intended to provide a setting for exploring financial innovation relevant to cross-border earnings.

Elba and Dr Kevin Greenidge, Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, discussed the practical difficulties creators face when receiving earnings across borders.

Wider Commonwealth connections

Elba also discussed with Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley a Barbados-led initiative aimed at connecting African and Caribbean talent through cultural exchange, commissions and access to new audiences.

In another discussion, Elba and Andy Burnham considered vocational pathways that link hands-on training and industry experience with employment and enterprise.

The Akuna Group is described as a pan-African organisation working across creativity, technology and enterprise. The Commonwealth Secretariat provided guidance in shaping the partnership, while the initiative remains led by the priorities of participating countries.

The report said the agreements and related discussions point toward practical connections between skills, markets and livelihoods, while operating within the priorities and laws of the countries involved.