Tell untold stories of nation - Vice-President urges creative arts players

The Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has urged leaders in the tourism, culture and creative arts industry to tell the untold stories of the country’s rich cultural heritage, tourist sites, forts and castles. 

She said there were over 60 heritage sites which remained under-explored despite their immense historical, cultural and economic value.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, who was speaking during a visit to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, said the country’s forts and castles existed in various shapes and forms, however, much of their deeper narratives remained undocumented and inadequately promoted.

“Sixty of the forts and castles in the country are standing in various shapes and forms, and the story has not been fully told.

“There is a lot that can still be excavated in this narrative,” the Vice-President, who is also a professor of literature, said, adding that there was the need to improve marketing, hospitality training, language skills, customer service and research to enhance visitor experience and also strengthen Ghana’s national brand.

Visit

The visit was part of the Vice-President’s efforts to support various ministries, departments and agencies in the country, especially those headed by women.

She had earlier visited the Ministries of Education, Health and Gender, Children and Social Protection.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang was accompanied by the Chief of Staff in her office, Alex Percival Segbefia, and other staff.

The delegation was received by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, and the various directors and heads of agencies and departments under the ministry.

Rationale

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang explained that the visit was to enable her to   engage directly with the ministries to gain a clearer understanding of their operations and challenges.

She expressed the government’s commitment to support ministries, departments and agencies to accelerate national development.

“Our approach is to come to you, to listen, to learn and to work with you,” Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said.

She added that some engagements would be unannounced in order to provide a more accurate picture of performance.

On funding constraints, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang advised them to prioritise efforts at growing national revenue rather than compete over budgetary allocations. 

Capacity

The sector minister highlighted the creative industry’s capacity to drive job creation, youth empowerment and economic growth.

Drawing on her long experience in the sector, Ms Gomashie said that mentorship and sustained encouragement were essential to nurture talent.

She reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to expand opportunities within the creative arts sector, urging businesses to prioritise locally produced goods over imported items.

“The creative domain is one where corporate Ghana is expected to support the sector by purchasing what we produce, rather than importing goods from around the world. If given enough motivation, we believe that we will deliver,” the minister said.

Ms Gomashie mentioned the launch of The Black Experience in March,  an initiative which was in collaboration with various agencies, featuring 68 traditional Ghanaian dishes to mark the nation’s 68th anniversary.

“This initiative aims to unearth some of the dishes that have been forgotten.

We want to preserve the dishes that are both healthy but have gradually disappeared over time. 

By embracing our local dishes, we can live longer,” she added.