The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts has inaugurated an interim Creative Arts Council to support regulate the industry.

The Council would help the Ministry to fashion out appropriate policies and administrative structures that can propel the growth of the industry as a major pillar for socio-economic advancement.

Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, speaking at the inauguration, said the objective of the Council was to assist the Ministry to facilitate the establishment and management of the creative industry scheme.

She said to ensure a holistic and integrated approach towards developing Creative Arts sector, the Ministry has established a nine-member committee and tasked them to develop the appropriate legal and regulatory frameworks for promoting the industry.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said a draft creative arts legal and regulatory framework has since been developed.

“Ten Regional stakeholder’s sensitization workshops have also been organised to present the document to industry players and stakeholders to incorporate their ideas into the final document which is currently being put together by the attorney general’s department,” she said.

The Minister said the Ministry has made some key creative arts’ policy interventions and strategies including coordination among key MDAs as in the development of the creative industry, facilitation of access to finance and the export market for products of Ghanaian creative industry and facilitation of the establishment of a council for the creative industry.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said the idea of constituting the Council was to assist the Ministry to facilitate the passage of the creative industry bill to mature into law.

The members of this interim council have a responsibility to steer the affairs of the council and also to support the efforts of my ministry to secure the enactment of the creative arts law.

Membership of the Interim Creative Arts include practitioners from Culture and Creative Arts bodies such as, Ghana Culture Forum, MUSIGHA, Ghana Book Publishers Association, Association of Visual Artists, Actresses Association of Ghana, CopyGhana and Ghana Fashion Designers Association.

Mr Akunu Dake, a member of the Council, expressed gratitude to the Minister for her quality leadership to transform the industry.

He said the Council would do its best to meet all their expectations to promote the interest of Creative Artists in the country.