“Consider consolidating some of your associations to be assimilated into the Ghana Culture Forum system” – Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture to Culture and Creative Practitioners
The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Mark Okraku-Mantey has recommended to players in the culture and creative space to consider consolidating some of their associations to be assimilated into the Ghana Culture Forum system. He made this call when the newly elected Functional Executive Committee of the Ghana Culture Forum paid a courtesy call on him last Tuesday, 2nd May 2023 at his office in Accra. He lauded the Ghana Culture Forum’s initiative of serving as an umbrella body for all practitioners in the creative space. He acknowledged that GCF has the ability to not only unlock the potentials of the creative space but also, facilitate the ease of government business with the creative space.
He acknowledged that are too many associations in the creative space which slow the business of government in its interaction with the sector. He noted that many of the associations existed in theory (or on paper) and but on the grounds have little to no proof to support their functionality. He added that Ghana Culture Forum has gained international reputation and recognition and more importantly has the structures that well represent all domains of culture and creative space.
As an active player in the creative space prior to his appointment as Deputy Minister, Hon. Okraku-Mantey was pleased to have had his boss, Hon. Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, assented to the collaboration and support for the subsequent Ghana Culture Day celebrations, a flagship festival of the Ghana Culture Forum. He added also that the Ministry has a special focus on Culture between 2023 and 2024. He was therefore, was hopeful of many more collaboration with the Ghana Culture Forum between those years.