Government must prioritise and invest in the creative arts sector - Mahama

Former President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has called on the government to prioritise the creative arts sector and address its challenges.

During a recent engagement with industry members on Friday, June 7, 2024, Mahama said he was committed to reviving and expanding support initiatives that were launched during his presidency but have since been stalled.

As reported by 3news.com, Mahama stressed the importance of government investment in the creative arts, recalling past efforts to enhance the mobility and dignity of artists by providing vehicles.

“We are going to find those solutions together. In the past, we have tried to assist. We assisted in providing cars to some of you because some of you really were using ‘trotro’ and other things to go around and so to protect your dignity, we asked the Ministry of Tourism to procure some cars and distribute them to you. It was just the first phase and we were going to do it in phases,” he said.

Mahama also lamented the discontinuation of the program and the reported seizure of the vehicles, which he deemed regrettable.

Citing the value placed on the creative arts by Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, Mahama called for a renewed government commitment to financially backing the creative arts sector, adding that a collective effort is needed to find lasting solutions.

“Unfortunately, we left office and that programme has not been continued. I also hear that some of the cars were seized from you and I think it’s unfortunate.

"Nkrumah believed in the creative arts and he put money into the creative arts and I believe that government must put money into the creative arts,” he said.

ID/OGB

Watch the latest episode of E-Forum here