Ghana spends just 0.084% of its overall expenditure on the creative industry, according to JoyNews Research.

Head of Research at JoyNews, Isaac Kofi Agyei, highlighted the level of government spending tourism, culture and creative arts during his presentation at the ninth edition of Joy FM’s Showbiz Roundtable.

“It is sad that we are spending just about 0.084% of the national cake on the creative industry.

That is how much we are spending on a sector that is expected to bring in some 5 billion dollars in every year. In fact, if you are ranking the top foreign exchange earners for this country, you can put it at number two or number three,” he said.

He explained that the government is spending GH¢255 million on the sector, which represents 0.084% of overall expenditure.

Kofi’s presentation laid the foundation for the roundtable discussion themed “Assessing 20 Months of Government’s Impact on Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.”

The programme 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.