The Ama Ata Aidoo Centre for Creative Writing at the African University of Communications and Business (AUCB), Accra, continues to grow as a vibrant space where stories are nurtured, voices are sharpened, and ideas are tested in public. Named in honour of Ama Ata Aidoo—a pioneering writer, feminist, and intellectual—the Centre carries forward her legacy of fearless storytelling and deep engagement with African realities.
In its evolving journey, the Centre – since its inception in 2018 - has become more than a training ground for writers. It is a living laboratory of creativity and culture, where students, scholars, and practitioners meet to think through the role of storytelling in shaping society.
The Centre is also increasingly connected to wider African and global networks. Through residencies, partnerships, and collaborative projects, it positions AUCB as part of a broader ecosystem of cultural production and intellectual exchange.
At its core, the Ama Ata Aidoo Centre remains guided by a simple but powerful belief: that storytelling is not a luxury, but a necessity.
Ama Ata Aidoo (1942–2023) was one of Africa's most distinguished literary voices—a writer, educator, feminist, and cultural advocate whose work transformed the landscape of African literature. Born on March 23, 1942, in Abeadzi Kyiakor in Ghana's Central Region, she studied English at the University of Ghana and in 1964 became the first published African woman playwright with The Dilemma of a Ghost. She served as Ghana's Minister of Education in the early 1980s and remained a vocal advocate for African cultural development and women's rights until her passing on May 31, 2023.
Ama Ata Aidoo's literary legacy lies in her unwavering commitment to telling African stories from African perspectives. Her writing challenged colonial narratives, questioned social inequalities, and explored the complexities of identity, gender, migration, and belonging. She was among the first African writers to place women's experiences at the centre of literary discourse. Today, she is celebrated not only as a literary pioneer but also as a mentor and intellectual whose influence extends across generations of writers on the continent and in the diaspora.
"To be a writer is to be involved in the whole business of living."— Ama Ata Aidoo
Nana S. Achampong is a writer, educator, media scholar, and cultural advocate whose work spans creative writing, journalism, media studies, and literary development. As Director, he leads the Centre's strategic vision, programmes, publications, partnerships, and community engagement initiatives. Under his leadership, the Centre has expanded its literary programming through festivals, author conversations, writing workshops, school outreach initiatives, publications, and international collaborations.
The Advisory Board provides strategic guidance and supports the Centre's mission of becoming a leading hub for African literary and cultural engagement. It is composed of distinguished individuals drawn from literature, academia, publishing, journalism, arts, and education. Full membership will be announced shortly.
The Centre regularly collaborates with writers, researchers, artists, journalists, and cultural practitioners through fellowship, residency, and visiting scholar programmes. Fellows may include Writers-in-Residence, Visiting Scholars, Research Fellows, Creative Fellows, Editorial Fellows, and Student Fellows.
The Centre welcomes partnerships, collaborations, and participation from individuals and institutions committed to the power of storytelling, literary culture, and African intellectual life.