Parliament has passed the Creative Arts Bill into law to enable the creative arts industry to source funding from the government to improve the sector.
The bill seeks to establish a Creative Arts Fund, which would attract contributions from public and private institutions to enable players in the industry to secure competitive interest loans and grants to support their business after it [the bill] received Presidential assent.
When it finally assented by the President, the bill would also provide the legal framework to guide the operation of the creative arts industry in the country.
The Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Barbara Oteng Gyasi, who disclosed this to journalists after the bill was passed in Parliament said when it becomes operational, it would not only bring positive change in the life of the players in the industry but would also accelerate growth in the industry to match that of other countries.
She noted that the major challenge confronting the sector is funding, however, she said the law has come to address the problem to enable the industry to grow.
She added that the law would help players in the industry to market their products locally and also access the international market saying, “it will also address copyright issues confronting the industry.”
To that end, she hinted that the law requires the government to establish a Creative Art Agency to properly manage the sector, adding that the agency would be created in 2021 to regulate the industry effectively and efficiently.
Juliet Etefe, ISD
