Executive Secretary of the Creative Arts Agency, Gideon Aryeequaye, has announced an eight‑year development initiative aimed at revamping and commercializing Ghana’s creative industry.
The plan, unveiled by Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister Abla Dzifa Gomashie, includes a GH¢20 million government‑funded seed initiative, a new registration and licensing framework, talent development programmes, a national creative hub, and housing support for retired practitioners.
Gideon Aryeequaye said the seed funding is intended to move the sector away from short‑term interventions toward structured credit, grants, and sustainable enterprise models. The Agency will partner with the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) and the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) to expand access to finance for creative workers.
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He added that a licensing and registration system will be established under the Creative Arts Agency Act, 2020 (Act 1048), alongside a regulatory committee to build a comprehensive database of practitioners.
Meanwhile, the Agency is developing the Greater Accra Creative Hub, designed to provide spaces for innovation, training, performances, and enterprise panels. It is also rolling out nationwide talent discovery platforms in senior high schools to identify and nurture young creatives.
Gideon Aryeequaye noted that the Agency is engaging international platforms to expand opportunities for commercialization and global distribution of Ghanaian creative works. The eight‑year plan is currently awaiting ministerial approval.
The Creative Arts Agency will also embark on a 16‑region stakeholder tour to educate practitioners and gather feedback on the proposed reforms.
Acknowledging years of unfulfilled promises, Gideon Aryeequaye assured industry players of government’s commitment.
“I acknowledge that for many years our sector has carried a weight of unfulfilled promises, leading to understandable scepticism whenever new policies are unveiled,” he said. “I stand before you today to assure you that the tide has truly turned from piecemeal support and superficial gestures toward deliberate and institutionalised interventions aimed at making creative work a dignified, profitable and secure career path.”
He urged practitioners to actively participate in shaping the reforms, stressing that government and the Agency cannot build the sector in isolation.