President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has delivered his State of the Nation address which covered a wide range of major campaign promises, including the creative arts industry.
During his address which took place in Parliament earlier today, the President mentioned that the country’s tourism sector is finally realizing its long-promised potential.
He continued by saying that the tourism industry developed into a popular travel destination, with an annual increase in visitor numbers, beginning with the festivities and excitement of the Year of Return in 2019.
He disclosed that this is the first time the government has completely renovated and modernised the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park since it was built in 1992.
Since the renovated park was put into operation in July of last year, both domestic and foreign visitor numbers have significantly increased.
Between July 14 and December 31, 2023, two hundred and eight thousand, five hundred and fifty-seven (208,557) domestic and foreign people had visited the park since its commissioning.
He said other amenities are undergoing renovations, and it’s encouraging to see the business sector being involved in the creation of tourism destinations.
He disclosed that the National Museum Gallery, which had been shuttered since 2015, had also had a complete renovation and drawn over 35,000 visitors in 2023, a large portion of which were schoolchildren.
According to him, the Second Lady recently ordered the construction of the Kente Museum in Bonwire, in the Ashanti Region, to conserve Ghana’s cultural legacy.
“Building will soon begin as the preparatory work and designs for the Heroes Park, a museum honouring Ghana’s founding fathers, the Big Six: JB Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, Edward Akufo-Addo, Ebenezer AkoAdjei, William Ofori-Atta, and Kwame Nkrumah, were completed in December 2023,” he stated.
According to him, the government, working via the National Film Authority, is dedicated to fostering the creation of top-notch movies and material as well as expanding Ghana’s and the continent’s cinematic landscape.
To achieve this, he stated that Cabinet is currently developing a favourable fiscal (tax) regime for movie projects.
It is anticipated to be released very soon and will offer additional concrete justification for selecting Ghana as a location for film production.
By George Clifford Owusu