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Afro Nation has not been taken away from Ghana – Creative Arts Minister
The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr. Awal Mohammed, has said that the government’s partnership agreement with Afro Nation still holds.
He told Joy FM in an interview on the sidelines of an editors’ forum held at the Accra City Hotel on Monday, August 14, 2023 that the concert will still be held in Ghana despite the announcement that Nigeria will be having its version this year.
“Afro Nation has not been taken away from Ghana. We even had a meeting last week. We discussed it. There are certain demands they want and we are trying to look at how to collaborate. It has not been taken yet. But we have alternatives,” he said.
Asked if Afro Nation will be held again in Ghana he answered: “most likely. Very likely. This year, over the next three years.
”The government of Ghana signed a deal with Event Horizon Entertainment Limited to host Afro Nation in Ghana for five years.
This was after the concert was first held in Ghana from December 27 to 30, 2019 at the Laboma Beach in Accra.
The deal between the Ghanaian government and the organisers of Afro Nation was signed in the presence of the President, Nana Akufo-Addo and the Ghana Tourism Authority.
A few months ago, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyemang, said in an interview on Asaase Radio that he was apprised of information that other countries had expressed interest in having events like AfroFuture (formerly Afrochella) and Afro Nation.
“We want to go back to cabinet and say ‘this is the document, this is what we did in ‘December in GH’, this is what they are saying, this is the impact, these are the numbers that came in; for us to sustain this to a level,” he said.
“Other countries are pushing. I mean I know, Ruddy, talk to the Afrochella guys and Little Havana. People have approached them. Countries have approached them to bring the events to them,” he added.He said this while stressing the need for Ghanaians to cherish the Beyond the Return agenda and the benefits it has brought the nation.
Apart from Afro Nation Ghana, there are Afro Nation U.S., Afro Nation Puerto Rico, Afro Nation Mexico, and Afro Nation Portugal.
The organizers of Afro Nation have signed a 5-year partnership deal with the government of Ghana. The first edition was held in December 2019, took a break due to the coronavirus pandemic and returned in December 2022.
Some Ghanaians have expressed concern about how it may affect Afro Nation Ghana and the whole December in GH initiative.
Afro Nation was founded by Adesegun Adeosun aka SMADE of Smade Entertainment and his partner Obi Asika.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
Ghana Tourism Authority is leading Ghana’s participation at ITB Berlin, which opened in Berlin with a vibrant national pavilion highlighting Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, tourism destinations and investment opportunities.
March 5 has been designated as Ghana Day, a special platform to promote Ghana’s languages, cuisine, Kente, festivals and business prospects to the global tourism community. The stand has already drawn strong interest with traditional arts and crafts displays, immersive multimedia presentations and popular Ghanaian snacks.
Seven private-sector players are exhibiting alongside government officials as part of efforts to deepen trade partnerships, expand market access, and attract investment across the hospitality, heritage tourism, ecotourism, and creative arts sectors.
Ahead of the official opening, the Ghana delegation also engaged young Ghanaian investors in Germany in collaboration with V Afrika-Verein and the Ghana Embassy, strengthening diaspora investment linkages and highlighting opportunities within the tourism value chain.
Ghana’s coordinated presence at ITB Berlin 2026 reinforces its strategy to position the country as the Gateway to Africa and a competitive destination for leisure travel and global investment.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
