Accra, July 28, GNA - Ghana and the European Commission (EC) on Tuesday jointly launched the third Cultural Initiatives Support Programme (CISP) to offer 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.

Speaking at the media launch in Accra, Mr Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, CISP Programme Coordinator, said the projects will improve the performance and productivity of organisations dealing with the arts and culture in the country.

"By diversity we mean that we will respond to issues around gender, ethnicity, faith, disability, economic disadvantage, and any social or institutional barriers that prevented people from actively participating in the arts," he said.

The grant is opened for time-limited activities that can be executed within eight months by arts and cultural organisations, institutions, groups and individuals who use the arts in their work. Mr Gyan-Apenteng called on the media to support the cultural promotion initiative to ensure that people understood and cherished "our cultural heritage".

He said the project had created employment for most people in the hinterland who needed small grants to improve upon their work. "In the northern regions the initiative has reformed the leather, smock and basketry industry by adding value to their products".

Mr Michael Attipoe, Director of Finance and Administration at the National Commission on Culture, expressed concern about the fact that five years after the publication of the National Cultural Policy, the contents of the document was yet to be made public.

He said the document was the culmination of a long effort to provide an effective framework for the development of the arts and the nurturing of Ghana's cultural sector to make it a relevant tool for education, enlightenment, peace, democracy, national unity and development. Other areas include the enhancement of Ghanaian cultural life, the development of cultural programmes to contribute to the nation's human development and material progress through heritage preservation and promotion, and the use of traditional and modern arts and crafts to create wealth and alleviate poverty.

He said the implementation of the policy had been held back by budgetary and resource constraints, which prompted the European Union to provide financial support to the sector, resulting in the setting up of the Cultural Initiative Support Programme (CISP).

He said with the CISP, the EC was supporting the National Strategy by concentrating on the sponsored activities mainly in the areas of manpower development, employment/income generation, cultural agreements, research, and support to artistic groups and programmes. Mr Attipoe said the main target group of the activities would include cultural associations and foundations, individual artists, and all groups of practitioners relevant to the proper functioning of the cultural sector. He said the funds were available to support a number of worthy individuals and organisations to realise various cultural initiatives that would be selected through a public call for proposals.