“The fire around December in GH feels a bit doused” – George Quaye

Team Lead for ImageBureau, George Quaye, has expressed concern about the apparent lull in activities surrounding the government’s December in GH initiative, saying the brand has lost some of its momentum.

Speaking to Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, the creative entrepreneur said while he believed every government had the right to introduce new ideas, he felt the impact of December in GH had not been prominent enough.

“It’s just said that the fire around the brand December in GH feels a bit doused. When December in GH was the lead brand that was headlining everything but frankly it’s not that I want to apportion blame. I mean, new king, new law. Everybody has their vision. There is nothing wrong with having a vision and wanting to propagate it,” he said.

George, however, added that if an existing initiative had to be changed, there needed to be a superior replacement.

“Maybe it’s just more time that we need but I would have wished that what was started some time back that was titled the December in GH which became a global phenomenon would have been jealously guarded and pushed,” he noted.

The history of December in GH dates back to the Ghana Tourism Authority’s efforts to position the country as a preferred destination for the festive season, particularly for members of the diaspora. The initiative gained prominence around the 2019 Year of Return, while the popular moniker ‘Detty December’ was coined in 2019 by Ghanaian creative Bernard Kafui Sokpe, popularly known as Mr Meister, during preparations for a December concert for Nigerian musician Mr Eazi. The brand has since become associated with concerts, parties, festivals and homecoming activities. 

The branding has, however, generated controversy. In May 2025, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin criticised the use of ‘Detty December’, arguing that the name projected a negative image of Ghana and vowing to fight against it. 

In December 2025, Director of Diaspora Affairs at the Presidency, Kofi Okyere Darko, popularly known as KOD, also expressed reservations about the name, saying he was not a fan of the concept and wanted the season to extend beyond entertainment and nightlife to include business opportunities, investment and networking. 

Meanwhile, concerns about the perceived decline in the excitement surrounding December in GH have also emerged from sections of the creative industry and the public. Following the 2025 celebrations, a social media post by Black Volta suggesting that the festive season had not lived up to expectations triggered further debate. However, disc jockey and event organiser DJ Mensah disputed the criticism, insisting that December in Ghana had been successful, with hotels recording strong bookings and several events selling out. 

For the 2026 edition, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts and the Ghana Tourism Authority have unveiled an official calendar featuring more than 150 events nationwide. Running from 1st December 2026 to 3rd January 2027 under the theme ‘Ghana to the World’, the programme forms part of the Black Star Experience initiative and seeks to showcase Ghana’s music, culture, fashion, food, heritage and hospitality.

Government has also called on tourism and hospitality businesses to improve service delivery, promote destinations beyond Accra and ensure that the festive season generates economic opportunities for local businesses and creative industry players.