President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts was established to prove a firm and stable policy environment for effective mainstreaming of Ghanaian culture into all aspects of national life.
In a speech delivered on his behalf by the Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo at the official opening of the National Festival of Arts and Culture, (NAFAC) in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital, he said, that will ensure the strong emergence of a vibrant creative economy to improve and advance the tourism industry.
He added that NAFAC should not be viewed as an ordinary funfair, but should be premised on the fact that the nation has concrete achievements worth celebrating.
Mr. Maafo bemoaned the current trend where the Ghanaian youth have been swayed off their feet by several alienated fantasies and behavioral changes streaming from foreign cultures.
He disclosed that government’s promise of progressively constructing regional theaters is still on course and said plans are underway to team up with the private sector to complete these projects.
He stated that government has made important strides in the provision of tourism infrastructure, citing the Accra Tourist Information Centre as an outstanding facility.
He disclosed that the sector has created about thirty thousand jobs in the last three years, making it the fourth mainstay of the Ghanaian economy.
For her part, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Barbara Oteng Gyasi said NAFAC, which is a biennial event is offering a common platform for all regions to display the best of their various cultures and traditions.
She added that the event will present lectures, colloquium, youth day, women and children’s day, open forums, exhibitions and performances.
She said, these will include elaborate displays and renditions of indigenous architecture, traditional fabrics and clothes, wood products, smithing, culinary arts, performing arts, visual arts, sports, traditional beauty pageants and regional day celebrations.
The festival, which runs until November 15, at the Koforidua Jubilee Park is on the theme, “Empowering the Youth Through Culture, Tourism and Creative Arts for Employment and Wealth Creation”.
