President Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has opened the 2022 edition of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC) with a call on citizens to guard against actions which threaten the country’s peace and unity.
The opening ceremony of the weeklong festival being organised to showcase Ghanaian culture customs and tradition was held at the Adisadel School Park in Cape Coast.
This year’s event is on the theme: “Revising Patriotism, Peace and Unity through Cultural Diversity for Sustainable Development.”
President Akufo-Addo, as the special guest of honour, in his speech at the ceremony called on citizens to guard against actions which threaten the country’s peace and unity.
According to him, peace and unity remained the ‘sine qua non’ for attaining sustainable development, therefore, citizens must place them above all individual interests in all circumstances.
He mentioned that the cultural and creative industries were key drivers of economies across the world, having the potential of attracting high foreign earnings for Ghana through export.
In view of that, he said, his government had since 2020 provided numerous support for the cultural, creative arts and tourism industries to help revive and expand the sectors to grow the economy.
The latest of such support, he noted, was a $10 million grant for some 1,500 small and medium enterprises in the sector with about 10 per cent of the amount allocated for female-owned enterprises.
The President said Ghana’s cultural representation was a captivating story, which needed to be told with the active involvement of all artists and artisans to achieve the goal of attaining a Ghana Beyond Aid.
On her part, the Central Regional Minister, Mrs. Justina Marigold Assan, said the festival was a unifier and a great way to pay tribute to the ancestors and heroes of country.
She urged all participants to seize the opportunity to learn one another’s culture, stating that it was the surest way to give meaning to “living in peace and harmony”.
She implored all, particularly, the youth, to desist from all negative and detrimental acts in the course of the festival.