Accra, Nov. 9, GNA - Civil Society Organisations and Cultural Activists, on Monday appealed to the European Commission to extend its 9th Development Fund for Cultural Initiatives Support Programmes (CISP) Grants to organisations and individuals in Ghana.

The grants seek to encourage people in arts and cultural organisations, individuals and other people to work effectively for the development of Ghanaian traditional systems. The CISP offers small grants to support the development of artists and arts and cultural organisations to enable them to contribute to the growth of the national economy.

The grant award also seeks to support projects which will entice more people to participate in arts and culture, provide creative opportunities for civil society, create opportunities to promote and celebrate cultural diversity.

Some Cultural Activists told GNA in Accra, that the grants had helped in the development of traditional culture, created employment for the larger non-formal sector and empowered artistes. The group explained that since it was launch, the project had improved the performance and productivity of organisations dealing with the arts and culture in the country.

Mr Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, CISP Programme Coordinator, explained to the He said the cultural Initiatives Support Programme was a three-year initiative under which the European Union provided Ghana with a ?2m grant to support the cultural sector.

The call for proposals was launched in compliance with the European Development Fund (EDF) regulations, and in close collaboration with the national authorizing office of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the National Commission on Culture. Mr Gyan-Apenteng said culture promoted diversity and contributed significantly to global peace and respect for values help in preventing and reducing poverty and social exclusion.

He said the project focused on issues concerning gender, ethnicity, faith, disability, the economically disadvantaged and social or institutional barriers that prevented people from actively participating in arts work.

Mr Gyan-Apenteng said that the grant, which was opened for time-limited activities that could be executed within eight months by arts and cultural organisations, institutions, groups and individuals who used the arts in their work, had transformed beneficiary communities, hence the call for extension of the project. He said the project had created employment for most people in the hinterlands who needed small grants to improve upon their work. "In the northern, eastern, and volta regions the initiative has reformed the leather, smock, basketry, beads, kente industry by adding value to their products", Mr Gyan-Apenteng said. On the "Third Call for Proposals", Mr Gyan-Apenteng said it received about 574 applicants out of which about 35 were disqualified during the first evaluation process.

He said the committee working on the proposals were on the final phase of the selection process and the best 40 grants recipients would be announced by the end of the year. Mr Gyan-Apenteng commended the European Commission, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and the National Commission on Culture for their support and cooperation during the lifespan of the grant. 9 Nov. 09