Ghanaian sports journalist Gary Al-Smith who works at The Multimedia Group has suggested that the country could have greater financial returns if it pays more attention to the arts.

Gary who spoke on Joy FM’s Twitter Spaces show hosted by Kwame Dadzie passed this comment on an earlier submission highlife musician Dada Hafco had made on Showbiz is A-Z requesting that the government channels its resources into the arts instead of the Black Stars.

Supporting Dada Hafco’s point, the Joy FM’s Sports Head said the Black Stars have been wasteful in the past years and that if part of the money invested in them is given to the arts and entertainment it would serve the nation better.

“I would be one of those who would be probably controversially say that from 2006 till now, perhaps if we had strategically [like Dada Hafco advocates] given a little portion of what we spend on the Black Stars to the entertainment we might have gotten a bit more because the truth be told the return on investment in entertainment has probably been more in terms of direct jobs created, indirect jobs created and putting food on the table of local economies. The Black Stars does not come close for that,” Gary said. 

“Almost every tournament  we have gone and brought yawa; one scandal after the other, he added.

He, however noted that even in the sports fraternity the Black Stars is top on the priority list. 

“Even in football the Black Stars is always the pampered child. The Black Stars get disproportionate amount of support even to the detriment of other teams,” he noted. 

Also on the show Gary advised the stakeholders of the culture and creative industries to be more proactive in lobbying for things they need. 

According to him, it is one tool the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has used to stay afloat in that regard. 

‘Joy Entertainment Unpacked’ airs on Joy FM Twitter Spaces on Wednesdays from 8pm to 10pm.