Creative arts has potential to beat manufacturing sector – Afeku

Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Catherine Ablema Afeku, foresees the creative arts sector outperforming the manufacturing sector if the potential is fully harnessed.
The sector, according to her, has seen an appreciable expansion over the years and has maintained its position as the fourth foreign exchange earner for the country after gold, cocoa and oil.
The Minister made the remarks during an interview with Kojo Yankson on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Tuesday.
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She said despite the considerable growth the sector has been enjoying, the lack of a database to form the bases for sustainable investment in the arts, is a major drawback.
According to her, the Ministry is offering support to the Creative Arts Secretariat to gather the necessary “data out there so they can work with”.
“The sector is expanding…and we need to get a database,” Mrs. Afeku stressed.
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She said: “The nation doesn’t see arts and creativity as a viable economic activity…but it’s a billion dollar industry.”
“We do believe that arts can create more jobs than the manufacturing [sector], we believe strongly because we’ve seen it in other countries. It is a low hanging fruit but it must be mainstreamed. We are the fourth GDP earner in the country but nobody gives us that pride of place,” she argued.