The National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) is to be converted into a Media and Creative Arts University College in the next few years.

This was disclosed by the Deputy Minister of Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu who indicated that government recognizes the role of the creative arts industry to the development of the country.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the school, Mr. Ofosu Kwakye said “NAFTI is growing and government recognizes it as an academically viable tertiary institution with enormous economic benefit and potential for the development of the nation.

“In this respect, governments strategy for NAFTI for the coming years would be geared towards infrastructural and transforming it into a world class media and creative arts university college for the training of professionals for the ever growing film and television industry.

In all 22 students graduated with a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts. This consisted of 3 First class, 10 Second class upper division and 9 Second class lower division. 85 other students graduated with certificates in Film Production.

Rector of NAFTI, Prof. Linus Abraham, hinted that new programs would be offered by the Institute later this year. He said “we continue our gradual expansion of NAFTI, through the addition of certificate and diploma courses and pending the completion of the accreditation process, we would start the bachelors in Broadcast Journalism and Multi Media production in September 2016.”

This promise by government follows the recent conversion of about 6 Polytechnics into Technical Universities in Ghana. Government has also completed some new universities in selected regions which prior to that did not have any.