NAFTI to be transformed to a university

The National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) has held its 12th congregation with an assurance from the government to transform the institute into a modern and well-equipped, fully fledged creative and media arts university.

The Minister of Communications, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, who gave the assurance, said Cabinet was considering moving the institute, which is currently under the Ministry of Communications, to the Ministry of Education to enable it to enjoy some benefits as a university, mentioning in particular, the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).

“New statutes and a bill for the transformation are being developed and would eventually be sent to Parliament for approval,” he added.

A total of 32 graduates were awarded Bachelors in Fine Arts degrees in their areas of speciality, while 40 other students were awarded certificates.

Four students received first class honours, 13 received second class upper division honours, 13 received second class lower division honours, while two received third class honours.

Govt commitment

As a sign of its commitment, Dr Boamah said the government was working on funding to modernise the institute and set up a commercial production unit for it,  adding that “hopefully the sod-cutting ceremony for the transformation project will begin this year”.

He explained that the transformation of the NAFTI into a modern and well-equipped university was to serve as the basis of training a well-developed pool of skilled force to support the growth of the industry.

“On completion of the modernisation project, the NAFTI studio complex, which had been abandoned for over 35 years, would be re-designed and developed into a four-storey Media Arts Complex with commercial production and post-production facilities that can be rented by the industry,” the minister said.

Dr Boamah urged the graduates to use their training at NAFTI to help create significant entertainment for the nation, as well as define representation that would appropriately help define the culture, identity and development  of the nation.

“Ghana needs good films, not only to distract and entertain us, but also to define the direction of development of this nation and importantly, to define the identity of our people,” he said.

Building entrepreneurial skills

The Rector of the institute, Professor Linus Abraham, said he was proud that some graduates from the institute had become the main source of professional personnel for media houses in the country.

He said while some were engaged in consultancy in cinematic areas such as sound, photography, editing and screenplay, others had also established commercial production entities and had employed people.

With portable and micro production technologies, coupled with the growing number of televisions stations and social media, Prof. Abraham said students could undertake their own productions by creating short stories and uploading on social media and promoting them on TV.

He cited the ‘Kalybos’ and ‘Ahuofe Patri’ production which had gone viral on TV and social media as one of the innovative ways students of the institute could adapt using micro and portable technologies.

He said students from NAFTI needed to harness their training and production skills to meet the high demand for quality productions such as news, sports, documentaries and magazines. 

Furthermore, Prof. Abraham said students of the institute needed to be equipped with the requisite skills to enable them to man the new media environment under the national digital migration transition which would require professionals to create content for global competitiveness.

He, therefore, urged the government to deliver on its promises and support the institute with the necessary resources to enable it to function fully for the digital age.