Cultural development is key to economic growth and wealth creation -

Hagan

Accra, April 27, GNA - Professor George Hagan, Chairman of the National Commission on Culture (NCC), has underscored the need to promote the development of culture because it would create the desired platform for an accelerated economic growth and wealth creation. To this end, he has advised Cultural Officers of the Commission to be proactive and work hard by devising and implementing measures and programmes that would promote the development of culture in the country.

Prof. Hagan made the call when he addressed Regional Directors of Centres of National Culture and District Cultural Officers, drawn from the Southern Sector of the country at a two-day Sensitisation Workshop in Accra.

The workshop under the theme "Culture and Development" aimed at sharpening the skills of the Cultural Officers and build their capacity and create an interactive platform for the exchange of ideas and to identify areas of cultural promotion in their respective districts. The participants were taken through topics such as: "Sourcing for Grants"; "Report and Proposal Writing and Poverty Reduction Strategies by Directors of the Commission and other Resource Persons." Prof Hagan said: "No nation can develop when her cultural values are relegated to the background."

He noted that most of the time, Cultural Officers were not brought into the mainstream of policy formulation at the Districts, a situation he said, retarded progress because culture could never be separated from development.

Prof Hagan, therefore, challenged Cultural Officers to make themselves very relevant and be effective facilitators for change and progress in their respective districts.

He pledged the Commission's support to continue to provide the various cultural centres with resources in order to enhance their performance.

The NCC Chairman announced that plans were underway to establish a Website and a Culture Trust Fund for the NCC.