Commission on Culture boss outlines challenges facing entity after it become an agency

The Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture, Janet Edna Nyame has mentioned that the commission is now saddled with several challenges after it become an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

She told TV3’s Selorm Amenya in an exclusive interview that the challenges range from logistics to budgetary allocations.

The Commission used to be an autonomous body until it became an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

Madam Nyame said “Since its establishment, it was a presidential commission which was on its own which had about eleven or twelves agencies under it.

“Some of them being the National Theater, Du Bois Centre, Kwame Nkrumah Park, Bureau of Ghana Languages, Pan African Writers Association.

“Initially it was aligned to the Ministry of Chieftaincy and later on it was moved to Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture. So now it has become an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

“So, all the departments that used to be under the Commission are all now also accountable or reporting directly to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

“So, if you can see, initially it was established as a commission with all these agencies, now it has become an agency under the Ministry so definitely there will be a whole lot of challenges affecting the commission.”

She added “Now we are an agency as one of the agencies I mentioned earlier on. For example, National Theater, Bureau of Ghana Languages but the Commission itself has its own regional and district sectors so that in budgeting or in the allocation of resources if only things are not taken into considerations then the Commission suffers. With the region and district offices. So that is our biggest challenge for now.”

The National Commission on Culture was established by the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) law 238 in 1990 to manage from a holistic perspective of the Cultural life of our country Ghana.

It is an implementation body under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture charged with the responsibility of ensuring the implementation off the culture policy of Ghana.

The Commission is to maintain the unique cultural identity and values for the promotion of an integrated national culture, as well as contribute to the overall economic development of the nation.