Scent of Africa, the fine fragrance house crafted in Ghana, has unveiled Akua’ba, a new collection of six Eau de Parfums, at the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes. The collection is planned to launch officially in Accra, Ghana, in December 2026.
Akua’ba unfolds through six fragrances: Anidaso, Ifamora, Mayele, Soyayya, Upendo and Simunye. Their names draw from six African languages, while the collection traces six stages of love: Hope, Attraction, Intelligence, Passion, Devotion and We Are One.
The collection takes its name from the Akua’ba, the traditional Akan fertility doll and one of Ghana’s most recognised cultural symbols. According to Akan legend, a woman named Akua, longing for a child, was told to have a small figure carved from wood and to carry it on her back, bathing it, adorning it with beads and caring for it as if it were already hers. Those who saw her called it Akua ba, “Akua’s child”. In time, her wish was answered. Still cherished today as a symbol of hope, beauty and new beginnings, the Akua’ba is love held close before it takes form, and its sculptural silhouette gives the collection its flacon.
The collection draws its scent inspiration from Thiouraye, the fragrant incense tradition deeply rooted in Senegal and found across parts of West Africa, particularly The Gambia, Mali and Guinea. Traditionally prepared from aromatic woods, resins, spices and fragrant roots such as gowé and vetiver, these blends are warmed to perfume the body, clothing and home, and have long been associated with sensuality and seduction.
Scent of Africa Founder Tanal Ghandour, who spent more than ten years in Senegal, encountered its distinctive scent as part of everyday life. Working in the cosmetics and perfumery industry at the time, he became fascinated by Thiouraye’s ability to evoke emotion and memory, and for years held the ambition of one day translating that feeling into fine fragrance. With Akua’ba, that ambition took form, as Scent of Africa collaborated with perfumers from renowned fragrance houses to interpret its sensuality across the six compositions.
Three years in the making, the collection brings together the symbolism of the Akua’ba, the sensuality of Thiouraye and six fragrances tracing love from first hope to deepest union.
The flacon
The bespoke 115ml bottle translates the sculptural language of the Akua’ba into a contemporary fragrance object: its disc-shaped head, ringed neck and open arms are carried into the silhouette of the glass and the sculptural cap. Every detail has been refined to balance cultural heritage with contemporary design.
The six stages of love
ANIDASO | Hope Named after the Akan word for hope, ANIDASO is love at its very beginning. Roasted South African sesame, Tunisian orange blossom, jasmine, rose and cocoa leave a warm, golden trail.
Perfumer: Dominique Preyssas
IFAMORA | Attraction From the Yoruba expression for attraction, IFAMORA captures the magnetic pull between two people. Comorian ylang-ylang and Madagascar Bourbon vanilla are drawn together with Namibian myrrh and labdanum.
Perfumer: Cécile Matton
MAYELE | Intelligence Named after the Lingala word associated with intelligence and wisdom, MAYELE explores the instinctive side of
attraction, where elegance meets desire in a subtle game of pursuit and seduction. Bergamot, orange blossom, Somali frankincense and myrrh unfold into an elegant leather accord with amber and cedar.
Perfumer: Élise Pierre
SOYAYYA | Passion Taking its name from the Hausa word for love, affection and romance, SOYAYYA represents passion, capturing love at its most intense and seductive. Rose and Egyptian geranium blend with smoky oud and patchouli.
Perfumer: Jordi Fernández
UPENDO | Devotion Taking its name from the Swahili word for love, UPENDO represents devotion, the moment love deepens into lasting commitment. Madagascan black pepper and pink pepper give way to Somali frankincense, cocoa, vanilla and tonka bean.
Perfumer: Jordi Fernández
SIMUNYE | We Are One The collection closes with SIMUNYE, Zulu for “We are one”: two lives becoming one. Somali frankincense and myrrh are layered with oud, vanilla and amber tobacco.
Perfumer: Dominique Preyssas
Tanal Ghandour commented: “Scent of Africa was born in Ghana, so it felt right that this collection should carry a Ghanaian name. The Akua’ba is a figure carried close to the body as a promise of love to come, and in a way that is what a fragrance is too. We wanted to tell a story of love that feels universal, in languages from across Africa, from its first hope to becoming one. Revealing Akua’ba in Cannes opens a new chapter for Scent of Africa.”
