AI meets African creativity: AAA and TBWA deliver training in Ghana
AI is transforming the global ad industry—but in Africa, education and access remain critical. The AAA School of Advertising, TBWA\South Africa and the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG) have partnered to bring AI learning to the continent, beginning with a training programme in Ghana.
AAA and TBWA deliver training in Ghana. Source: unsplash.
The initiative, facilitated through Alt Ed, the corporate training arm of AAA, gave 67 participants from across Ghana’s advertising and media sector the opportunity to explore how new AI tools can be integrated into day-to-day practice.
A partnership with shared purpose
The course was co-ordinated by Anthea Whitehead, campus head at the AAA School of Advertising in Cape Town; Luca Gallarelli, AAA alumnus and TBWA’s group CEO; and Graham Cruikshanks, director of Africa operations at TBWA. The partnership came together organically.
Whitehead, who has spent years working at the intersection of education and industry, had already been in discussions with AAG about running an AI-focused course.
She reconnected with Gallarelli, a former student of hers, and through him brought TBWA into the fold.
Cruikshanks’ Africa-wide remit made him a natural fit to support delivery, while AAA’s academic reputation in Africa gave the programme credibility. The collaboration grew quickly from that starting point into a fully-fledged pilot.
Preparing for a digital future
For many attendees, the programme was their first chance to engage with AI tools in a structured way. Whitehead said the strong response showed how eager professionals are for training that moves beyond theory into practice.
“The industry doesn’t just want to be told about AI – it wants to work with it and understand how it can impact what we do,” she explained.
“Our next sessions will build on this model, pairing presentations with toolkits and hands-on exploration so participants can leave with skills they can apply immediately.”
Keeping it local
She added that while AI was the focus of the pilot, core industry capabilities remain just as important. Writing effective briefs, managing clients, and running projects on budget are still essential, and short, skills-focused sessions can help professionals refresh those fundamentals.
Another key takeaway, she noted, was the need for local relevance: “At present, AI largley thinks in Western paradigms. For it to be useful in Africa, we need tools that understand our markets, languages and consumer behaviour. That is the real frontier.”
Cruikshanks emphasised that the programme demonstrated what can be achieved when academic institutions and agencies collaborate. “There is enormous talent across Africa but very few structured opportunities for professional training,” he said.
“By combining AAA’s framework with the applied knowledge of practitioners, we can build capability in ways that respond directly to industry needs.” Gallarelli agreed, highlighting that the Ghana pilot should be seen as the start of a broader effort. “There is a clear appetite for further modules, from account management to creative entrepreneurship,” he said.
“Our goal is to build a flexible, skills-driven programme developed with the industry and for the industry, and to make it accessible across the continent.”
Scaling knowledge across Africa
The partners are already exploring how the programme can be extended. Content from the Ghana sessions has been shared with TBWA’s extensive Africa network, giving agencies across the continent the chance to revisit and apply the material internally.
Plans are also under discussion to replicate the model in other markets, including Nigeria, Kenya and Namibia.
Longer term, the ambition is to develop a wider advertising training pathway covering the full value chain – from briefing and strategy through to execution and evaluation – with both face-to-face and online delivery options.
A launchpad for new learning
Reflecting on the pilot, Whitehead described it as a launchpad rather than a conclusion. “The appetite for learning was inspiring. This is the beginning of something new, and there is a real opportunity to build a knowledge community that can strengthen the industry across Africa.”
The AAA School of Advertising has been South Africa’s leading advertising institution for more than 35 years. Its partnership with TBWA and AAG marks a new chapter: extending skills development beyond South Africa to support the growth of advertising across the continent.