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Producer Urges Celebrities, Gov’t To Support The Creative Industry

By Daily Guide
General News Producer Urges Celebrities, Govt To Support The Creative Industry
OCT 18, 2016 LISTEN

Outspoken music producer and CEO of JMS Music Productions, John Mensah Sarpong, has called on celebrities in the creative industry who have aligned themselves with the government to advise its leadership to support the creative industry.

He added, “Though the celebrities are making moneys and grabbing cars for themselves from the government, they should also think about the future of the creative industry to which they belong.”

According to the award-winning music producer, the creative industry in Ghana contributes significantly to the country's gross domestic product, and therefore, needs the support of the government.

The music producer warned that the industry will not forgive the celebrities if they fail to use the opportunities made available to them to champion the growth of the industry.

The CEO of JMS Music Productions, however, called for a strategic national policy to guide and sustain the creative arts industry on the path of growth, adding that there was the need for deliberate efforts to grow the industry and portray the true Ghanaian culture and traditional values.

Mensah Sarpong stated that both past and present governments have never been ready to help the creative industry grow by putting in place training centres or systems to help improve the industry.

He added, “There are no centres training stakeholders, there are no subsidies put in place to help the stakeholders.  I don’t see any system in place that will create the opportunity for the stakeholder to access soft loans from the government and donor agencies.”

In an interview with BEATWAVES in Accra last Saturday, the Kumasi-based music producer suggested the building of a national theatre in all the regional capital, solely for the creative industry to facilitate research, provide professional training to industry players as well as serve as event venues for the players in the industry.

By George Clifford Owusu

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