The National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC) has brought to light the importance of culture and arts as essential sources of employment and wealth creation, particularly for the youth.
Madam Janet Edna Nyame, the Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture (NCC) said in Techiman in the Brong-Ahafo Region that when she was addressing a grand durbar to mark the celebration of the Regional Festival of Arts and Culture (REFAC).
On the theme “Empowering the Youth through Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts for Employment and Wealth Creation”, the programme was attended by people of diverse backgrounds and they included; traditional rulers, students, public and private sector employees and the general public.
Commenting on the theme, she explained that the culture and tourism industry was the fourth most lucrative income earner in the country, offering diverse jobs to the masses than most sectors.
She cited the region had over 400 estimated number of professional and amateur cultural industry players, such as musicians, painters, wood workers, dancers, actors, dressmakers, hairdressers and clay workers.
Mad. Nyame stressed that the industry needed promotion and marketing that would begin from within, implying that all the industry players and Ghanaians in general must vigorously and aggressively be involved in promoting the products of the tourism sector in various ways.
“It behoves on us the duty-bearers to create the right environment for the industry. I believe that, if we, the key stakeholders and custodians of our cultural heritage resolve to put in place the right strategies and initiatives that could add value to our cultural goods, we could create the needed market, provide factories and practically create job opportunities for the masses of our unemployed youth”, she emphasised.
Mr John Kofi Donyina, the Municipal Chief Executive for Techiman South earlier in a welcoming address reiterated the importance of the creation of new regions by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo’s government, stressing that the decision was without any political expediency but to accelerate the holistic socio-economic development of the country.
Mr Donyina therefore urged the electorate, particularly those in the designated areas of the regions’ creation to turn up to vote “yes” during the referendum to make it a reality.
