A stakeholder engagement for a programme that seeks to provide training for culture and creative arts professionals, has been held in Accra.

The UNESCO-Aschberg programme was held on Monday, November 27, 2023 at the Teachers Hall in Accra. 

This initiative is aimed at providing artists and cultural professionals within the performing and visual arts domains in Ghana the requisite knowledge on existing relevant policies and legal frameworks governing the culture and creative space in the country and beyond. 

The project is themed “Empowering artists through policy formulation and robust legal framework: An engagement with artists on inputs into cultural policy, copyright and other relevant laws”.

Speaking at the stakeholder engagement programme, the Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture, Nana Otuo Owoahene Acheampong said the UNESCO-Ashcberg project aims to develop and implement a comprehensive training programme that empowers artists to cultivate cultural policy and legal understanding underlining their craft. 

“It will also provide participants with the tools and knowledge needed to create high quality productions, with protection and freedom, that speaks to the times and reflect their cultural heritage whiles addressing contemporary socio- cultural issues,” he said.

This training programme is expected to empower over 400 emerging artists and cultural professionals across the country. 

Nana Otuo said at the end of the training, “the freedom of the artists shall be emphasized and new reforms and regulatory frameworks shall be proposed for consideration by; the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Office of the Copyright Administrator, the Cultural Policy Review Committee, the Creative Arts Agency, National Film Authority, National Media Commission, Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice as well as the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Academia.”

Moukala highlighted the the contribution of the cultural and creative industries worldwide, a reason for a collective effort to push Ghana’s.

“Informal CCI sales in emerging countries were estimated to total US$33b in 2013 and to provide 1.2 million jobs. Performing arts are the biggest employers in the informal economy, providing unofficial music and theater performances (street performances, festivals and concerts that do not pay authors’ rights, private performances at marriages and funerals, etc.), which are often free for audiences. In Africa, these performances are sometimes funded by individual sponsors,” he noted.

More insight into the project was given by the National Expert for the UNESCO-Aschberg Programme, Mr. Benjamin Oduro Arhin Jnr (Bnoska). 

Bnoska the training for the programme will be done nationwide. 

Various groups and institutions also made their presentations proffering solutions to some challenges faced by artists.

Also present were the Executive Director of the National Film Authority, Juliet Yaa Asantewaa Asante, the Acting Deputy Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture, Dr. Richardson Commey Fio, among others. 

The National Commission on Culture was established in 1990 by Provisional National Defense Council Law 238 to manage from a holistic perspective, the Cultural life of the country.

It seeks to promote the evolution of an integrated National Culture, supervise the implementation of programmes for the preservation, promotion and representation of Ghana tradition and values; and perform such other functions as may be prescribed by government.