Ruddy Kwakye addressed the inaugural Climate x Culture Summit 2026 in Accra on Thursday, October 22, urging event organisers and creative industry players to abandon the practice of exaggerating attendance figures.
He warned that inflated numbers could undermine policy planning, especially in areas such as climate change mitigation and waste management. Accurate attendance data, he said, is essential for responsible event planning and for policymakers to develop effective measures to reduce waste and limit the environmental impact of large gatherings.
“Exaggerating the numbers of attendees at events is pure ego pleasing,” he said. “Inflating the numbers strokes egos and feels nice, but we can’t have a plan or policy. When we take the actual and accurate numbers, that’s when we’re able to make policies across the board, especially with conversations around climate change.”
Kwakye explained that reliable figures would help organisers determine the necessary number of waste bins, toilets, cleaning personnel and waste collection points at venues. It would also enable better estimates of waste volume, facilitating planning for collection, recycling and disposal.
He highlighted environmental initiatives by the Afro Nation team at Laboma Beach, where the festival has largely been held. The team has conducted clean‑up efforts to improve the beach’s condition and installed a net beneath the bridge where lagoon water flows into the sea. The net traps rubbish and debris, preventing waste from reaching the ocean, demonstrating how event organisers can take practical steps to manage waste beyond the event venue.
The summit, organised by CultureJoint in partnership with the Office of the Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability at the Presidency, brought together stakeholders from the creative industries, climate sector, government and other fields to examine how culture and creativity can contribute to climate action and sustainable development. The theme was “Designing Sustainable Creative Experiences for Africa.”
Kwakye’s remarks underscored the need for the creative industry to combine accurate data collection with practical environmental measures to make events more sustainable. As the summit concludes, organisers and policymakers will need to translate these insights into actionable guidelines and regulatory frameworks that ensure future events are both culturally vibrant and environmentally responsible.
