Actors, actresses, and filmmakers have been asked by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to make sure they get the rewards that the industry requires.
“Too frequently, our well-known artists, who provide us with some of the best drama, music, and films, have not received enough financial compensation,” he said. President Akufo-Addo, who voiced concern over the matter, thus advocated for the bolstering of copyright regulations to safeguard artists in the nation.
Yesterday in Accra, the President delivered a speech at the inaugural Africa Cinema Summit.
A wide range of industry stakeholders from Ghana, Africa, and beyond are present at the three-day summit.
Initiative
In order to strengthen the nation’s local film industry, President Akufo-Addo announced that the government, working with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture and the National Film Authority, had launched a $25 million initiative involving distributors, marketers, investors, and producers.
According to him, the initiative will create about 6000 employment in the nation and was in keeping with the government’s aim for job development.
The President stated that in addition to retooling NAFTI to enable it to offer the necessary training for the populace, efforts were being made to draw in foreign film projects and establish Ghana as the center of West African film production.
Additionally, a 45 million euro reform to transform NAFTI into a top-notch training center has been approved.
In addition, the university is launching specialized courses on screenplay writing and the film industry,” he remarked.
The President urged the youth, especially the women, to seize this chance, adding that NAFTI would be awarding its own degrees as a component of the University of Media Arts.
Rich culture
President Akufo-Addo further said every aspect of the African life told an imaginative story.
“We tell stories through our fabrics, every kente design has a narrative, every cloth has a name.
Our crafts, music, films and festivals all tell stories about our lives and our beliefs.
“Our country has forts and castles, national parks, historic palaces, wild life and festivals that could be filmed or used as background for films and marketing for tourism purposes,” he said.
The President also said the consistent favourable rankings of Ghana by the World Economic Forum as a politically stable country with a safe and secure environment made the nation a preferred film and tourism hub which should be leveraged by industry players.
He said a favourable fiscal and tax regime for cinema projects would be launched soon to provide another tangible reason for the choice of Ghana as a film production country.
Leveraging youthful population
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Film Authority, Juliet Asantewaa Asante, who is the convener of the summit, urged stakeholders to leverage the youthful population of Africa by creating contents that would be appealing to them.
She said the establishment of more cinemas would also attract investment, create jobs and increase economic activities in the country.
Ms Asante said without the screens, the African continent would continue to remain spectators.
SOURCE:MYJOYONLINE
