By Lucy Mawufemor Kpeglo
The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on filmmakers and other creative industry players to participate in the first-ever National Film Dialogue. The event will take place at the Cedi Conference Centre at the University of Ghana, Legon.
In a video post shared on the Ministry’s social media pages, the Minister emphasized the importance of the dialogue and the huge potential of the film industry to contribute to national development.
“It’s important to have this conversation because I urge you to go onto the internet and you will find that film contributes over 90 billion to the global economy,” she said.
Hon. Dzifa Gomashie highlighted some of the challenges facing Ghana’s film industry, stating that the industry has a complex history that needs attention and restructuring.
“The story of filmmaking in Ghana has been one that is convoluted, and we must get to a point where it takes its place of pride, promoting our culture, promoting our heritage, promoting our very existence and also our tourism,” she said.
The Minister further called on all stakeholders to participate in the dialogue and contribute strong ideas and policy suggestions to help shape the future of Ghana’s film industry.
“We want to have a holistic conference where all stakeholders come together and assist us to position this dialogue on a platform where we can make a policy decision that drives this sector and especially the domain that we are speaking about,” she explained.
According to the Minister, the film industry has the potential not only to provide employment but also to support other sectors in the creative space and attract investors to Ghana.
“This domain has the potential to provide employment and also bring along all the other sectors in the creative arts space. Through film alone, we can have diplomacy with the rest of the world—one that creates opportunities for investors to come into our country and leave their money here for us to be able to develop at the speed that His Excellency John Dramani Mahama wants us to go to,” she emphasized.
Hon. Dzifa Gomashie concluded by calling on sponsors and investors to support the dialogue and the National Film Authority in order to grow Ghana’s film sector.
