The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has reaffirmed government’s commitment to building a vibrant, commercially viable and globally competitive creative arts industry capable of creating sustainable livelihoods for practitioners. https://dailydemocratnewsonline.com/wp-admin
She said the creative sector remained a major contributor to Ghana’s national development, with music, film, theatre, dance, fashion, visual arts, literature, photography, crafts and emerging creative disciplines playing important roles in promoting Ghanaian identity, creating jobs and growing the economy.
Speaking at a Creative Arts Forum in Accra, the Minister said government recognised that the industry could not thrive on talent alone but required deliberate investment, strong institutions, effective policies and an enabling environment.
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She said the Ministry was therefore pursuing measures to strengthen the sector, including the establishment and implementation of the Creative Arts Fund, stronger international partnerships, skills development and improved infrastructure and opportunities for the production, distribution and export of Ghanaian creative products.
The Minister stressed that the engagement was primarily intended to listen to practitioners and understand the challenges confronting them.
“We want to hear your ideas and proposals. We want to understand what is working, what is not working and what more government can do to unlock the full potential of the sector,” she said.
She assured creatives that the Ministry and its agencies were committed to working with practitioners rather than merely working for them, stressing that their input would be critical to shaping policies for the industry.
“Our vision is to build a creative arts industry that is economically viable, globally competitive, professionally organised and capable of providing sustainable livelihoods,” she said.
The Acting Executive Secretary of the Creative Arts Agency, Mr Gideon Aryeequaye, said government was moving to transform the creative sector from one dependent on temporary support into a properly structured and commercially sustainable industry.
He said the Agency was working with financial institutions and the Ghana Enterprises Agency to improve access to credit, grants and other forms of financial support for creative businesses.
Mr Aryeequaye said the Agency was also developing a registration and licensing framework to create a credible national database of practitioners and strengthen regulation within the industry.
He noted that efforts were also underway to strengthen intellectual property protection, copyright administration and digital monetisation, while expanding opportunities for creatives to benefit from their work in the digital economy.
According to him, the Agency was laying the foundations for improved welfare and professional development, including plans for an integrated creative hub to support innovation, training, performance and enterprise incubation.
He also disclosed initiatives aimed at supporting the welfare of practitioners, including a Welfare and Counselling Department and a Creative Arts Housing Project intended to provide greater housing security for retired creative industry leaders.
Mr Aryeequaye said the Agency was further working to expand market opportunities, preserve Ghana’s cultural heritage and nurture young talent through nationwide talent discovery initiatives.
He acknowledged that years of unfulfilled promises had created scepticism among practitioners but said the government and the Agency were determined to move towards deliberate and institutionalised development of the sector.
He urged creatives to actively participate in the reform process by providing constructive criticism, ideas and proposals, stressing that government could not build a sustainable creative economy without the ownership and partnership of practitioners.
The engagement formed part of efforts to strengthen collaboration between government and stakeholders and develop policies that would position Ghana’s creative industry as a major driver of economic growth, employment and national development.
