Mr. Richardson Commey Fio, Special Aide to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, has cautioned against the growing tendency to reduce Ghana’s culture and creative arts industry to mere entertainment, describing the practice as harmful to national development and cultural identity.

Speaking during an appearance on Kessben Entertainment on Kessben 92.9 FM, Mr. Commey Fio stressed that the culture and creative arts sector extends far beyond music, film, and celebrity-driven entertainment, and must be treated as a strategic economic and cultural pillar.

According to him, culture and creative arts encompass heritage preservation, visual arts, fashion, design, crafts, literature, festivals, and indigenous knowledge systems,s areas that contribute significantly to tourism, job creation, and national branding.

“When we reduce culture and creative arts to entertainment alone, we undermine their full value and their potential contribution to Ghana’s socio-economic development,” he lamented.

Mr. Commey Fio noted that such reductionism affects policy direction, funding allocation, and public perception of the sector, often leaving key creative disciplines under-supported. He called on media practitioners, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to adopt a broader and more responsible approach when discussing and promoting creative arts.

He, however, commended Kessben Entertainment for positioning its programme beyond gossip and spectacle, describing it as one of the few platforms that consistently engages creatives on industry structure, welfare, and policy-related issues.

The Special Aide further encouraged creative practitioners to advocate for proper recognition of their work and to push for frameworks that protect intellectual property and ensure sustainable livelihoods.

As Ghana continues to explore the economic potential of its creative economy, Mr. Commey Fio’s remarks serve as a timely reminder that culture is not merely for amusement but a critical driver of identity, innovation, and national progress.

Pop superstar Britney Spears has sold the rights to her entire music catalogue, the BBC has learned.

Spears, 44, is said to have sold to independent music publisher Primary Wave on 30 December for around $200m (£146m).

The singer – whose protracted conservatorship long dictated her personal and professional life – is known for the hits …Baby One More Time, Oops!… I Did It Again, Toxic and Gimme More.

Primary Wave did not immediately respond to the BBC’s requests for comment. Representatives for Spears declined to comment.

In January 2024, the singer said she would “never return to the music industry”. Her last song was a duet released with Elton John in 2022.

Primary Wave has also acquired rights to the estates of Notorious BIG, Prince and Whitney Houston.

Details of the sale and the exact price of Spears’ catalogue have not been made public.

High-profile artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, and Shakira recently sold their catalogues too.

Springsteen sold his back catalogue to Sony in 2021 for $500m, and Bieber reportedly signed a $200m deal with Hipgnosis Songs Capital in 2023.

The publisher was founded 20 years ago by music executive Lawrence Mestel after purchasing 50% of Kurt Cobain’s portion of the Nirvana catalogue.

Spears is one of the best-selling female artists, with more than 150 million records sold worldwide. Her catalogue includes nine studio albums since her 1999 debut.

The sale comes after a tumultuous few years for the singer, who in 2021 ended a 13-year-long conservatorship – a legal guardianship that saw her finances and personal life controlled by her father.

The singer published her memoir, The Woman in Me, in 2023, which detailed her struggles under conservatorship.

Her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, released his own memoir, You Thought You Knew, at the end of 2025.

Special Aide to the Minister of Tourism culture and Creative Arts, Mr. Richardson Commey Fio has endorsed Kessben Entertainment hosted by Kojo Preko Dankwa as the best entertainment show that has the welfare of creatives at heart.

Mr. Commey fio who is an ardent listener of the show, made an appearance to analyse and make clarification to some of the issues within the creative arts industry. With so much to say about say, Mr. Fio emphasises that Kessben Entertainment remains one of the few shows that don’t thrive on sensationalism, but rather focuses on relevant industry matters of national interest among creatives.

He further expressed his admiration for the Panel for their unbiased analyses, in-depth knowledge of the subject matter and accurate submissions.