Culturally Sensitive Digital Transformation in Ghana’s Leather Craft Industry: A Heritage–Innovation Approach

Abstract

Ghana’s artisanal leather craft industry carries deep cultural significance, sustained through generations of intergenerational knowledge and symbolic traditions. Yet, as digital fabrication technologies rapidly reshape global creative economies, artisans increasingly face pressure to modernize—often in ways that risk eroding cultural meaning and Indigenous knowledge systems. This study responds to this tension by introducing the Heritage–Innovation Alignment Model (HIAM), a conceptual framework designed to guide culturally grounded digital transformation in Ghana’s leather sector. Drawing on heritage-sensitive innovation scholarship, particularly the framework advanced by Bonfanti, Vigano and Brunetti (2018), HIAM emphasizes three complementary strategies: preservation of artisanal knowledge, segmentation between processes suited to technology and those that should remain traditional, and synthesis through hybrid craft–technology practices. The model further highlights the enabling role of artisan leadership, community knowledge networks, and supportive institutional ecosystems. Using a conceptual synthesis of existing academic literature, policy documents, and global case studies, the study demonstrates how digital tools—such as laser engraving and CAD/CAM systems—can enhance rather than replace Indigenous craftsmanship. Ultimately, the HIAM framework offers artisans, educators, and policymakers a culturally responsive pathway for modernizing Ghana’s leather craft industry while strengthening the traditions that define it.