President Mahama should appoint the right people to arts institutions – Akofa Edjeani

Celebrated Ghanaian actress, Akofa Edjeani, has called on the President, John Dramani Mahama to assign positions in the creative arts sector to people who are really qualified for the job.

Speaking to Lexis Bill on Drive Time on Joy FM, Akofa said for the sector blossom, the right people must be appointed to the various positions.

"This time around, we should have a round table discussion (serious one) and set things straight. Let's reset and rebuild as the President is saying. If he is serious about that, then he should put in place, the right people who understand the impact, the socio-economic landscape that the arts bring, the rebranding, the tangible and the intangible things that we bring to the fore and how it can bring about growth in terms of employment and growth in terms of wellness," she noted.

Akofa indicated that the creative sector is an important aspect of life that cannot be underestimated.(Read also: Meet Matthew Agambire, the fashion designer behind President Mahama’s inauguration outfit, Fiifi Coleman Productions launches Private Actors Welfare Scheme for actors)

"Film and theatre are very important to the growth of any nation, so we should prioritise the creative sector. We need to do this. It is how you set your foundation right because without culture you are nothing. That is the soul of any nation. But most times we are detached from it. We put arts and culture somewhere else and we are at another place, so it doesn't work that way," she told Lexis Bill.

She said to ensure the vibrancy of the arts, the right foundation must be laid.

"We need to make sure that we have a firm foundation before we start putting the structures up, otherwise things are going to be falling apart like we have been doing all these years," she said.

While President John Mahama is yet to announce his ministers and other directors for tourism, arts and culture, speculations are rife about who occupies these positions. For Tourism, Arts and Culture ministerial position, names like Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Sadiq Abdulai Abu and Rex Owusu Marfo, have come up.