The National Commission on Culture (NCC) has held its maiden End-Of Year Review Meeting bringing the offices of all the Regional Centers for National Culture closer to the Commission and appraising their performances and activities by identifying implementation gaps and challenges whilst adopting strategies towards future prediction.
Addressing the Two-Day meeting, the Executive Director of NCC, Madam Janet Edna Nyame indicated that, the meeting was necessary in view of the importance of stakeholders and management of institutions to evaluate work done in the year and share ideas on more effective ways of achieving growth in their institutions.
According to her, the Ghanaian Culture and creative industry deserves a strong public institution which will provide competent leadership and guidance to its numerous enterprises and operations.
“The onus therefore lies on us to position ourselves as a reliable, efficient and formidable institution to support government in providing the necessary resources for the promotion and presentation of culture towards national development,” she said.
Madam Janet Edna Nyame also averred that there is the need to periodically assess their activities, identify current trends and enhance their human capacity.
In an exclusive interview soon after the opening ceremony of the event, Madam Janet Edna Nyame stated that last year the NCC did a lot of work to push Ghanaian culture forward, however the emergence of COVID-19 affected their speed of work.
According to her, the COVID-19 Trust Fund has supported the NCC in its efforts of ensuring that it sends its messages across through culture and creative arts.
She also indicated that efforts have been made to ensure that Ghanaian culture is promoted hence, there have been a closer collaboration with industry players to ensure that Ghana Culture is enhanced for national development.
Speaking to Barima Asumadu Sakyi, Dean of the Conference of Directors and Accountants and CNCs, he pointed out that funding mas been a major constraint facing the activities and work of their work and that the Commission cannot solely depend on government intervention and thus called on all Regional offices to embark on activities that would generate revenue for their sustenance.
He also bemoaned the competition between them and the Private Sector which he averred, although healthy for the growth of the culture and tourism industry, also places on the public sector to do more toward creating the enabling environment for public sector players to compete with the private sector.
Barima Asumadu Sakyi appealed for government to re-introduce the Cultural Heritage Fund to help cushion the Commission in its activities.
The Director of Human Resources at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. V. Otto Langmagne said culture is a pivot around which the development of a nation revolves and that there is the need for synergy among stakeholders to gather the strength to push the country’s culture forward.
He also admitted that the meagre budgetary allocation to NCC is not allowing the commission to play its key role as expected.
Mr. V. Otto Langmagne said it is time the NCC collaborate and engage in partnerships with various entities and organizations which are interested in culture so as to attract more support for its activities.
During the meeting, presentations were made from all the Regional Centres on their 2020 Budget Performance and IGF, 2020 Activities or Programmes and other performance indicators, Human Resource Management, Operations and Agreements on tenants on Centers’ lands, Challenges and Way forward and the 2021 Planned Activities and Programmes and other Performance projections.
By PROSPER AGBENYEGA