Alhaji Limuna Mohammed-Muniru, Northern Regional Minister,Tuesday inaugurated a 14-member Northern Regional Cultural Committee with the responsibility of whipping public interest in cultural activities to promote development.

He said the country had over the years benefited from the cultural heritage of the country but this must be harnessed through innovation of art and artefacts. The Committee is chaired by Saha-Naa Abdul-Latif Abubakari, a staff at the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly with most of the members being civil and public servants who are to work with the Centre for National Culture (CNC) for the achievements of its objectives.

Alhaji Mohammed-Muniru said culture in the past had promoted and fostered unity as well as social cohesion and urged the committee members not to rely solely on government for funding support but should use innovative ways of mobilising funds to undertake their activities.

He said most of the government policies had been transmitted to the people through their culture and that aspects of outmoded cultures needed to be reformed to meet modern standards.

He said the region has waged a war against environmental pollution, deforestation and poor sanitation, which were derailing cultural values and traditions and that because of the violation of cultural values, environmental pollution and poor sanitation had become serious problems in many communities in Ghana.

Madam Gladys Tang, Acting Northern Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture (CNC) said even though the government had supported the Centre in diverse ways, it currently faces financial and logistical constraints and appealed for support from both the government and philanthropists.

She said even though the Centre was the repository of culture, it could no longer gather audience at its auditorium in Tamale because of poor echo in the building and that the auditorium leaks during rainfalls and appealed to the Northern Regional Coordinating Council to help rehabilitate the structure.