Climate change demands action from creative industry – Centre for CSR

Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of the Centre for CSR, West Africa,

John Kojo Williams, has called on Ghana’s creative, cultural and events industries to adopt sustainable practices to address climate change.

“Climate change is no longer an abstract warning from the figment of anyone’s imagination; it is the reality shaping our lives, economies, communities and creative futures,” he said.

Williams made the remarks as the Centre announced its partnership with the Climate x Culture Summit 2026 to promote environmentally friendly practices among event organisers, artists and influencers.

The summit, themed “Designing Sustainable Creative Experiences for Africa,” is scheduled for October 22, 2026, at the Google Artificial Intelligence Community Centre in Accra.

Williams said businesses must move beyond sustainability commitments and translate them into measurable action.

“Corporate sustainability is no longer a badge of good intentions or imitation of enviable business practices, it is the discipline of turning responsibility into measurable action,” he said.

He added that commitments to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals must be backed by practical efforts to tackle climate change.

“Our collective commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals is not just a checklist for tomorrow, but a shared promise we must keep today, so that we can have a ‘tomorrow’,” he said.

Williams said the partnership reflected the Centre’s commitment to integrating sustainability into culture, art and everyday activities.

“By equipping the creative and events industries with the tools for sustainable production, we are not just talking about change; we are infusing it into our future,” he added.

Founder of the Climate x Culture Summit, Kenneth Darko, said the event would focus on practical outcomes, including the signing of the Accra Climate Culture Accord and the development of a Sustainable Event Production Guide for Ghana.

The organisers also plan to establish a network of climate and culture practitioners to promote sustainable practices across the region’s events industry.

The Centre for CSR, West Africa, supports businesses through sustainability training, advocacy, policy development and strategy implementation. For more than 14 years, it has organised national and regional sustainability events involving businesses, academia, regulators, civil society organisations, the media and community leaders.