Next NDC government to promote development of entertainment industry
“The next NDC government will invest in supporting local content creation initiatives to drive job creation; and review and strictly enforce broadcasting, digital media, and local content provisions to stimulate local artistic productions. “We will facilitate, enforce, and enhance the collection and management system for copyrights and royalties in Ghana; partner with stakeholders in Ghana’s film industry to position it among the top three producers in Africa; and partner with stakeholders in the Ghana music and dance industry to develop and market their craft.
“We will promote a culture of reading by partnering with tech start-ups to develop digital platforms that create content from Ghanaian publishers and writers to generate revenue for local authors and promote writing as a commercially viable art form in collaboration with the Ghana Association of Writers and other stakeholders.
“We will support young digital content creators to develop contents that promote Ghanaian culture and partner with the private sector to build an ultra-modern recreation village with auditoriums for films, musical concerts, and other stage performances,” former President Mahama, who is the NDC presidential candidate for Election 2024, has stated.
The next NDC government under President Mahama and Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang will partner with digital platform developers to promote Ghanaian cultural centres and heritage products and events.
“We will commence plans to establish a film village, with equipment to be hired at low rates for filmmakers; rehabilitate the National Theatre in Accra; and commence plans to build a second National Theatre in Kumasi. “We will acquire a special event channel for the creative arts on a digital terrestrial television (DTT) and provide a technology that would make the channel “pay per view.”
“We will introduce tax breaks for creative arts artists who have Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) and initiate plans for a new city on the banks of the Volta Region with facilities that will generate arts activities and boost tourism.
“We will hold an annual stakeholder dialogue with arts culture and the creative industry and provide special rates for performances at the Blackstar Square, Accra International Conference Centre, and other state-owned venues by artists,” Mahama said. Former President Mahama noted that the next NDC government formed under his leadership will refurbish Ghana’s popularised cultural and heritage sites, monuments, and infrastructure and identify potential attractions for development.
“We will develop the creative potential of People Living with Disabilities (PWDs) to effectively and efficiently participate and pursue careers in the culture, arts, and tourism industries; facilitate investments in the development of tourist facilities and services to cater for the needs of PWDs; and promote local cuisines on the menus of hotels and other tourist facilities in Ghana.
“We will define a legal and ethical framework with adequate and appropriate provisions towards orientation for Diaspora Africans who wish to relocate to Ghana.
“We will promote insurance uptake for creatives by facilitating tailored insurance products; and collaborate with other stakeholders to promote Ghana’s tourism, arts, and cultural goods and services in diplomatic missions abroad to promote Ghanaian culture,” the NDC Election 2024 Presidential Candidate stated.
On enhancing the tourism sector, former President Mahama said the next NDC government will build a comprehensive real-time online database in collaboration with the GSS, GTA, GIS, universities, and other stakeholders for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of tourism data.
“We will promote domestic tourism through awareness creation and the institutionalization of programs and activities in partnership with relevant stakeholders; and revive the abandoned Marine Drive project and initiate similar projects in other regions.
“We will review the utilization of the Tourism Development Levy to ensure an equitable, effective, and efficient distribution to all sectors under CAT and review taxes and enhance incentives on hospitality and other services within the CAT sector to make Ghana a competitive tourism destination.
“We will partner with stakeholders to diversify tourism offerings to include medical tourism, educational tourism, religious tourism, culinary tourism, agro-tourism, cultural tourism, and sports tourism, among others. “We will create career security for the talent in the industry through legal and financial protections and a mass pension mobilization scheme,” former President Mahama stated.
The NDC therefore called on the electorate to vote massively for former President John Dramani Mahama, who occupies the 8th position on the presidential ballot paper, and all NDC parliamentary candidates to execute pragmatic policies to restore confidence and integrity in Ghana.
By: Francis Ameyibor II Contributor
