The President advises those involved in the film business to appropriately reward actors

 "Too frequently, our well-known artists, who provide us with some of the best drama, music, and films, have not received enough financial compensation," he said. President Akufo-Addo, who voiced concern over the matter, thus advocated for the bolstering of copyright regulations to safeguard artists in the nation.

Yesterday in Accra, the President delivered a speech at the inaugural Africa Cinema Summit.

The three-day summit is being attended by stakeholders in the industry from Ghana, Africa and across the world.

Initiative 

President Akufo-Addo said the government, through the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture and the National Film Authority, had established an initiative involving producers, distributers, marketers and investors to the tune of $25 million to improve the local film ecosystem in the country.

According to him, the initiative will create about 6000 employment in the nation and was in keeping with the government's aim for job development.

The President stated that in addition to retooling NAFTI to enable it to offer the necessary training for the populace, efforts were being made to draw in foreign film projects and establish Ghana as the center of West African film production.

Additionally, a 45 million euro reform to transform NAFTI into a top-notch training center has been approved.

In addition, the university is launching specialized courses on screenplay writing and the film industry," he remarked.

The President added that NAFTI would be issuing its own degrees as part of the University of Media Arts and, therefore, entreated the youth, particularly women, to take advantage of the opportunity.

Rich culture

President Akufo-Addo further said every aspect of the African life told an imaginative story.

“We tell stories through our fabrics, every kente design has a narrative, every cloth has a name.

Our crafts, music, films and festivals all tell stories about our lives and our beliefs.

“Our country has forts and castles, national parks, historic palaces, wild life and festivals that could be filmed or used as background for films and marketing for tourism purposes,” he said.

The President also said the consistent favourable rankings of Ghana by the World Economic Forum as a politically stable country with a safe and secure environment made the nation a preferred film and tourism hub which should be leveraged by industry players.

He said a favourable fiscal and tax regime for cinema projects would be launched soon to provide another tangible reason for the choice of Ghana as a film production country.

Making use of the young people

The summit's organizer, Juliet Asantewaa Asante, the chief executive officer of the Ghana Film Authority, advised participants to take advantage of Africa's youthful population by producing content that appeals to them.

According to her, adding more theaters will boost the nation's economy by luring in foreign capital and generating employment.

Without the screens, Ms. Asante claimed, people on the African continent would still only be able to watch.