Ghanaian broadcaster Austine Woode has expressed his disappointment about the performance of the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie.

Speaking during the ninth edition of Joy FM’s Showbiz Roundtable on Saturday, 8th August 2026, Austine said the minister had not laid down plans that would impact the industry in reality.

Austine said the minister had been more focused on holding workshops and stakeholder engagements than getting on the ground to keep things running.

"I have a problem with our minister. She is from our stock but she has failed for me.

I am from Kumasi, has she spoken to anybody about the land on which they will build the Kumasi theatre? I am a stakeholder there. If she had had any conversation like that, I would know that they are looking for the land. They are not doing it,” he said.

“What they are doing is throwing things against the wall and the one that will stick, they come and highlight it. All of those things are not going to help the people. Let us go to the basics and build from there. When we build from there, all the industry will enjoy from it; not what they are doing. They have failed,” he added.

In line with his concerns, the President of the Foundation of Concerned Arts Professionals (FOCAP) also said his group would score the current government 0%.

Meanwhile, the Minister said during the Government Accountability Series on Monday, 10th August 2026, that after a tour of the Ashanti Region, she noticed that there were infrastructural projects that needed completion. She said she had therefore suggested that those facilities be completed rather than starting a new theatre.

Themed “Assessing 20 Months of Government’s Impact on Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts”, the ninth Showbiz Roundtable examined the government’s commitments to the sector, assessed the level of implementation, measured the impact of policies and explored the road ahead for Ghana’s creative economy.

The discussion featured industry figures including Chief Operating Officer of Maestro Africa Group, Francis Doku; Lead Consultant at Jesse Agyepong and Associates, Jesse Agyepong; pop culture journalist Olele Salvador; and Joy FM broadcaster Ken Addy.

Also in attendance were comedians Lekzy DeComic, Kojo Pjay, Percy Obrempong, James Brown and Jacinta. Others were broadcasters Austine Woode and Kojo Preko Dankwah, while tourism professional Emmanuel Frimpong was also present.

The discussion was moderated by broadcaster and arts and culture journalist Kwame Dadzie. It was produced by Philip Nai, with support from Anita Teye and Idah Lamaire.