Too late for new Tourism Minister to save struggling creative industry, says Baba Sadiq

WHILE some creatives are excited about the change in leadership at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, others such as businessman and founder of 3Music Awards, Sadiq Abdulai Abu, popularly known as Baba Sadiq, believes it is too late for the minister designate, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, to make any significant impact.

To Baba Sadiq, the creative sector requires more comprehensive solutions and the appointment of a new minister will not in any way address the deep-seated issues plaguing the industry.

His remarks come after the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, was replaced with lawyer and MP for Sekondi constituency, Andrew Egyapa Mercer in a reshuffle in President Nana Addo’s government on Wednesday, February 14, 2024.

Talking to Graphic Showbiz, Baba Sadiq said there was lack of proactive measures to address the challenges facing the creative sector and the new appointment was too late to reverse the fortunes of the struggling industry. (Read I sometimes make GH₵112,500.00 monthly on Facebook – Comedian Waris reveals)

According to Baba Sadiq, the limited time the minister designate has in office due to the upcoming elections poses significant barrier for him to make any meaningful change.

“We all know this is an election year and from around June till we vote in December, government machinery grinds to a halt because it is when they focus on the elections and campaign. 

“That time will eat into the few months left for them to deliver to us. The minister designate is also a sitting MP and he is seeking re-election so he will need time to do that as well, so he can’t do much.”

“He is not an industry person and he has less than 10 months in office. He will need more time to study and understand the space if he is looking to push the sector forward which will take time. We would need someone who can run the space with a certain level of speed.”

“He would need more time to understand the sector, issues and challenges in the industry, find resources and learn how things work before he can pick up, and the time is very limited for him to do all of these,” he told Graphic Showbiz.