John Mahama promises fund for ageing artistes

The Presidential Candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has pledged to establish a fund dedicated to supporting ageing creatives if he wins the December 2024 election.

He made this announcement during a policy dialogue held at the AH Hotel in Accra on Friday, June 7, 2024, which was attended by stakeholders from the creative arts industry.

Mahama emphasized that the welfare of creatives has always been a priority for him, highlighting his ongoing contributions to individuals in the entertainment sector.

He expressed his intention to formalize these efforts through more structured and sustainable measures.

“We will formalize the Ageing Artistes Fund. This one is my personal, greedy, and selfish [promise] because it will take the burden off me for the current ones that I am taking care of. I think that the state should take part of that burden.

“So we will create a fund for ageing artistes and we will identify the indigenous ones who are in need so that we can provide them with money to buy their medicines and be able to feed themselves. So we will set up the ageing artistes fund and we will formalize it,” Mahama stated.

The former President pointed out that, in other parts of the world, the most successful and wealthiest individuals are often from the creative sector, a reality that does not currently hold true for Ghana.

“The creative arts is a very important industry and has the potential to create millions of jobs. All our young people who are sitting at home, many of them are talented but there are no opportunities for them to showcase their talents.

So if we are able to put the creative industry on a sound footing, it will create opportunities for many of our young people,” he noted.

In addition to discussing the Ageing Artistes Fund, Mahama also hinted at other strategies that the NDC plans to implement to elevate the creative industry, which will be detailed in their forthcoming manifesto.

He assured stakeholders that these initiatives would aim to provide a robust platform for the creative arts sector, fostering job creation and economic growth.

The policy dialogue served as a platform for Mahama to reiterate his commitment to the creative arts and outline his vision for a more supportive and thriving industry under his potential administration.

The 22 promises

(1). To make budgetary allocation for the creative arts

(2) Declare the Golden Age of Culture, Arts and Tourism, an overarching policy for the sector: where there will be actions and modules to promote job creation and entrepreneurship. Under this will be the BlackStar Experience, which will be one of the sub-themes to imbue Africanism in Ghanaians and encourage people to come from all over the world to see our arts, tourism and culture.

(3). Renovate Centres of Arts and Culture in the various regions.

(4). To streamline copyright modalities and IP Laws

(5). There will be film festivals where Ghanaian films will be exhibited.

(6) They will also organise arts exhibitions, music shows, fashion programmes

(7) There will be special focus on drama and theatre arts: playwrights will be supported to exhibit their plays

(8) Creatives to attend international trade fairs to exhibit Ghanaian culture and arts.

(9) To pursue the dream of establishing a film village, get equipment at low cost for film makers.

(10) To rehabilitate the National Theatre in Accra and build a second National Theatre in Kumasi.

(11) To acquire a special event channel for the creative arts programmes on digital terrestrial television (DTT), provide a technology that will make that show payable, so people will pay to watch.

(12) To give special rates for performances at Blackstar Square, Accra International Conference Centre and other venues owned by the government.

(13) Encourage the teaching of music and arts in the curriculum: provide trained teachers for such subjects.

(14) Introduce tax breaks for creative artists who have Tax Identification Numbers (TIN).

(15) Formalise a fund for aging artistes.

(16) Revive the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC)

(17) In partnership with the private sector, develop all the tourist sites

(18) Revive the Marine Drive Project

(19) Provide Amusement Parks

(20) Review the tourism fund, make sure it benefits the various stakeholders in the tourism value chain

(21) Build a new city on the banks of the Volta Region with facilities that will generate arts activities and boost tourism.

(22) Hold annual stakeholders dialogue with people in the Creative Arts.