Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has expressed optimism that 2027 will bring significant progress and investment to Ghana’s creative sector, particularly in infrastructure development.
She said government was committed to addressing longstanding challenges facing the sector and would work with other ministries and development partners to secure the resources needed to complete ongoing projects and initiate new ones.
Speaking during a stakeholder question-and-answer session, the Minister said she had already begun engagements with key government officials and international partners to mobilise support for the creative industry.
“2027 is going to be very good for us. 2027 is going to be a very good year for us,” she said.
National Theatre renovation
On concerns about the state of the National Theatre, Ms Gomashie disclosed that a GH¢30 million intervention was being pursued for renovation works, separate from arrangements involving support from the Chinese government.
She explained that she had recently toured the facility with officials involved in the renovation project to assess the work being undertaken.
According to her, discussions were ongoing with the Chinese government for additional support, while the Ghanaian government was also determined to invest in the sector. She, however, declined to give specific timelines for the completion of the renovation.
Completing abandoned theatre projects
The Minister also addressed concerns over stalled theatre and cultural infrastructure projects across the country, including facilities in Kumasi and Accra.
She said some of the projects were initiated several years ago and had reached varying stages of completion.
Having previously worked at the National Commission on Culture, Ms Gomashie said she had visited several of the facilities to assess their current condition.
She said government would engage experts to determine what was required to complete the various projects and develop a practical approach to securing funding.
“We can’t all be starters at a time,” she said, stressing the need for successive governments to continue projects initiated by their predecessors rather than abandoning them.
She explained that her approach would be to identify projects that could realistically be completed and prioritise them while also making room for new initiatives.
Heritage and restitution
The Minister also indicated that government was pursuing discussions around the return of Ghanaian cultural artefacts held abroad.
She said some countries had expressed willingness to return items to Ghana, although negotiations and the processes surrounding restitution remained complex.
Ms Gomashie said government would continue engaging the relevant authorities to ensure that Ghana’s cultural heritage was properly preserved and, where possible, returned to the country.
She also pointed to plans to improve the facilities available for the preservation and exhibition of such artefacts, noting that the National Museum currently faced challenges relating to space and infrastructure.
Beyond infrastructure
The Minister stressed that government’s intervention in the creative sector would not be limited to physical infrastructure.
She said her engagements with other ministries and stakeholders were aimed at addressing broader challenges affecting practitioners, including access to markets and platforms, financing and the commercialisation of creative works.
According to her, the creative economy required coordinated action across government because several of the challenges facing practitioners fell within the mandates of different ministries and institutions.
She said she had already begun discussions with relevant officials to develop joint solutions.
Ms Gomashie reiterated her commitment to ensuring that the creative sector receives the financial and institutional support required to become a viable contributor to Ghana’s economy.
She said her priority was to ensure that projects and policies translated into tangible outcomes for practitioners rather than simply becoming another list of government promises.
