Explore additional funding opportunities - Tourism Ministry to Board Chairpersons
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has urged board chairpersons under the ministry to explore additional funding opportunities beyond state support to enhance visibility and impact.
She also called for open communication among board chairs, chief executive officers, chief directors and the deputy minister to ensure coherent decision-making.
She further encouraged them to go beyond their basic mandates by keeping their ‘ears to the ground’ and respond promptly to emerging issues.
She recounted several incidents that attracted public and parliamentary scrutiny, including an incident involving two men kissing under the Independence Arch, and a recent case in which a pregnant woman lay on the tomb of the country’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
“In all these instances, questions were directed at me. People asked why I allowed these things to happen,” she stated.
She also cited the decision by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board to close one of the castles without informing the ministry as an example of poor communication and governance.
Ms Gomashie who was speaking during an orientation for the Governing Board Chairpersons under the ministry in Accra on Friday, January 30, however, expressed confidence that the diverse expertise of board members drawn from various professional backgrounds would positively influence the institutions they served.
Orientation
The tourism minister explained that the orientation was part of efforts to foster closer collaboration among its 13 agencies to ensure their work aligned with President John Dramani Mahama’s vision of resetting the country and identifying areas for improvement.
She said it was also to address challenges in public administration such as unclear strategic roadmaps, a situation the Public Services Commission (PSC) was helping to address through guidance and capacity-building.
Ms Gomashie pointed out that the decision to realign tourism, culture and creative arts under one ministry was intentional, adding that it was her responsibility to create an environment that allowed agencies to work collectively rather than in silos.
She explained that the establishment of the ministry had altered the leadership dynamics of the sector, particularly the role of the National Commission on Culture (NCC), which previously operated as a ministerial portfolio.
“The issue is not so much a problem, except that we have to find out how to make that decoupling a strength and not a weakness,” she said, noting that the ongoing workshop was meant to explore ways of ensuring effective coordination among the various agencies.
Board chair perspective
The Board Chair of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, Mr Michael Hudru Attipoe, reaffirmed their commitment as board chairs to assist in fundraising efforts and leveraging senior-level contacts, including diplomatic and international networks, to attract support for their institutions.
He stressed the need for discipline and effective financial management, stating that conflicts with chief executives should be avoided in the interest of institutional harmony.
