How we started

The Ghana Culture Forum was proposed and initiated at the UNESCO Consultative Forum on the “Power of Culture in Development” held at the erstwhile African Royal Beach Hotel, Nungua – Accra, on 28th April 2011. It became clear at the forum that the time was long past for a Civil Society Advocacy Forum on Cultural Heritage to be formed to pursue and intervene on issues related to the domain and its place in overall national development policies.

Sixteen pioneers (see table below) started working together to establish GCF as the advocacy platform for culture and development action. The initial name of GCF was Ghana Heritage Forum. However, after due deliberation, the house changed the name to Ghana Culture Forum to give it a much broader focus.

Name	Organisation
Kojo Gavua	Professor, Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Ghana, Legon
Michael Neequaye	Consultant
David Dontoh	ex-President, Concert Party Union
Akofa Edjeani	Actress
Amandzeba Brew	Musician
Madam Akosua Ofori Mensah	Book Publisher, Sub-Saharan Publishers
Nanabanyin Dadson	then the Editor, Graphic Showbiz, Accra
PaJohn Bentsifi Dadson	Freelance Culture and Tourism Writer
Nii Osei Agyei	GTV
Kofi Akpabli	Writer and tourism personality
Louise Akanlu	Documentary Film Maker / Theatre for Development Practitioner
Jojo Richardson	Film Maker (Videography)
Madam Modupe A. Nukunu	then of TV3 and now of Youth Bridge Foundation
Daphne Akonor	Attorney General’s Department
Akunu Dake	Heritage Development
Esi Sutherland-Addy	Professor, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon

UNESCO graciously provided the initial grant and technical expertise to support the institutionalisation and official launch of the Ghana Culture Forum. Since the official launch on 14th March 2012, Esi Sutherland-Addy (Professor) and Akunu Dake served as co-conveners for the interim leadership till March 2019 when substantive leadership emerged after elections during the 2nd National Delegates Conference.

Initialtive