December in Ghana: Why major events are not being held outside Accra

December in Ghana is finally here. As usual, it's when Ghanaians break their piggy banks, call their loved ones and go “outside”. The returnees or “Borgers” come back with pocketfuls of foreign currencies ready to spend. The entrepreneurs have taken note and have sought to organize top-notch events to entertain the revellers and make some money as well.

But one thing anyone who has his/her ears on the ground would notice during the December in Gh season is that most of these events are held in Accra.

This year's list for example has almost all its events within Accra. And the question one may ask is, what's wrong with the other regions, towns, and cities in the country? Why are very few events being shipped there?

To answer, GhanaWeb Entertainment’s Isaac Dadzie discussed with a Music Business Executive, Jonathan Laryea (Jonilar).

1. Poor research:

According to Jonilar, very little is known about the marketability of many events outside Ghana. This is because very little research is done in terms of activations to help determine the uniqueness of these places and how they can be adopted into major events.

Jonilar suggests that regional activations could be done in other regions as well to spread events across the country.

“Accra happens to be Ghana's national capital. So everything revolves around here and the people who know jump onto it in terms of events are all in Accra. But it would have been something that was spread across the country if there had been a regional activation of these events. In the same way, they are taking input from event organizers in Ghana, they could have done the same in other regions as well.

"Why are we not doing regional activations? We are not doing regional activation because we don't have data telling us what we can build these regional events on. If we have data which says that okay when you go to the eastern region, this is what will bring people to events even if there's no music.

“We should be able to do research, understand the dynamics when it comes to events in every region,” he said.

2. Production costs:

Most other regions do not have the equipment and the technical manpower to be able to set up and run events as well as handle emergencies. Thus, most of these equipment and staff end up being transported from Accra at an extra cost.

“Last year I produced River Jamboree in Volo. Now, as much as we had cheap labour, we also had challenges with getting certain things. And in most cases, we have to come to either Tema or Accra to get this stuff.

“And just imagine that during your event, there's a minor accident and you lose about ten or 15 of your bulbs. You wouldn't get it in these areas unless you travel down to a major city to get these things.

“And some of the people you need for your production team, in most cases too, you have to move all of them down. Last year we used about 40 workers on site and we transported everybody, and fed everybody throughout the duration.

“We can do it. We just have to make it a conscious effort,” Jonilar explained.

3. Governmental support:

As much as many organizers would love to organize their shows in other regions, most of these regions lack the necessary resources or infrastructure to host a major event.

From something as simple as getting permits with all the bureaucracy involved to poor road networks to even something as simple as lovers' benches in some major leisure spots in the country, many organizers and revellers find it difficult to enjoy their experiences as the cost and difficulty in accessing these resources are rampant.

“Even when you go to those regions to do something, the offices over there will refer you to their head office in Accra. So these are some of the reasons why it looks like December in Ghana is finding it very difficult to go outside the national capital.

“And even those who travel outside the capital tour a few destinations. They don't get satisfaction when they visit these areas. How many benches do we have at the Aburi Botanical Gardens? What is the nature of the road to the waterfall we have at Boti?

“Because if you create the event, besides the live music that people should enjoy, people should spend the whole day going to other places, assets. Now, if you go to Akosombo and you want to cruise on the Volta League, unless it's a private boat, we don't have government-owned boats that are like, well subsidised for people to go there with 10 Cedis, if you don't have 150 Ghana Cedis, you can't cruise on the boat. So getting an experience outside Ghana also comes at a cost,” he said.

4. No end goal:

Let's take the case of Dubai. The United Arab Emirates set out to make its capital, Dubai, a major tourist destination. This is due to a strategic process on the part of its government to make Dubai an attractive destination with dozens of experiences.

Jonilar suggests that the only way to build a successful event culture in Ghana is by integrating indigenous cultures in its events to create unique experiences for revellers.

“If you are bringing something, it's about the experience, December in Ghana should be a process that is fully engineered. We should create something that we want to get people's attention. And the only way we can build a successful event culture in Ghana is by integrating our indigenous culture. That is the only way.

“Do you know why Dubai is excellent? They don't wait for a season. It's like an active economy. Everybody is running. They know what they want to achieve. They don't have anything. It's the desert, right? But now they have the sea. Look at what they are doing with the sea. They've created their canals. See what they are doing.

"We pay so much to go to Dubai with the cruise where you eat in the evening on their kind of boats with a lot of lights and everything. We can do the same thing in Accra here. But look at the Odaw River.

"So it's because they know what they want to achieve. It's not just about the event. What do you want to achieve with your events? Our events don't have any colourful dress code."

In conclusion, while Accra may be the national capital, boasting of business and wealthy individuals. It is important to recognize that there are other regions, towns, and cities in the country that can be adopted into major events.

With better research, governmental support, and integration of indigenous culture, Ghana can develop a thriving event culture that is spread across the country, making December in Ghana an unforgettable experience.

ID/BB

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