President of the Foundation of Concerned Arts Professionals (FOCAP), Kojo Preko Dankwa has maintained that although he believes the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has performed poorly in the creative arts sector after 18 months in office, he remains optimistic that the industry can still experience positive change before the end of the government’s four-year mandate.

Speaking on Peace FM’s Entertainment Review, hosted by Ola Michael, Kojo Preko Dankwah and filmmaker Socrate Safo shared differing opinions on the government’s performance in the creative industry since assuming office.

Kojo Preko Dankwah argued that the NDC government has failed woefully in addressing the concerns of stakeholders in the creative arts sector over the past 18 months. However, Socrate Safo disagreed, insisting that 18 months is too short a period to fairly judge the government’s overall performance, adding that the administration should be given more time to implement its plans.

During the discussion, host Ola Michael asked Kojo Preko Dankwah whether he still saw “light at the end of the tunnel” despite his criticism of the government’s performance.

Responding to the question, Kojo Preko Dankwah said he remained hopeful.

“Yes, there is. The reason I’m saying there is hope is because the government hasn’t exhausted its mandate. It hasn’t been just a few months or only a year; it still has a four-year mandate. I believe there is hope for us.”

He stressed that constructive criticism is necessary if improvements are to be made within the sector.

“The reason there is hope is because if we continue to talk about these issues, there will be a way to straighten things out,” he stated.

Kojo Preko Dankwah further noted that his criticism was not intended to suggest that the government had failed across all sectors. He acknowledged that some ministries have delivered commendable performances within the same period, demonstrating that progress is possible when the right measures are implemented.

According to him, the creative arts sector deserves the same level of attention and commitment being witnessed in some other sectors of government.

President of the Foundation of Concerned Arts Professionals (FOCAP), Kojo Preko Dankwa, has criticised the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, saying the government has little to show for its first 18 months in office despite making several promises to the creative arts sector.

Speaking in an interview on Peace FM’s entertainment Review hosted by Ola Michael, Kojo Preko Dankwa questioned the progress made on key infrastructure projects promised in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto, particularly the construction and rehabilitation of theatres and cultural centres.

According to him, one of the major concerns is the lack of updates on theatre projects that were already underway before the previous government left office.

“What is even the update on the theatres the previous government was working on before it left office? The theatres have gathered dust. Nobody has told us anything. There has been no communication on what is happening,” he said.

He noted that although the current government’s manifesto promised to construct new theatres and rehabilitate existing ones, there has been no visible evidence that those commitments are being implemented.

Kojo Preko pointed specifically to the proposed theatre for the Ashanti Region, saying there has been no indication of where it will be built or when work will begin.

“Their own manifesto talked about building new theatres and rehabilitating existing national cultural centres. After one and a half years, there is nowhere showing where the Ashanti Region theatre will be built. What are we waiting for?” he asked.

The FOCAP President also criticised what he described as the government’s reliance on committees without producing tangible results.

According to him, several committees have been established since the administration assumed office, yet the industry has seen very little action.

“Too many committees have been set up. Some of the committees even conflict with each other, but we don’t see anything happening. I see that as a problem.”

He appealed to the ministry to become more proactive in addressing the challenges facing Ghana’s creative industry.

“We are pleading with them to be on their toes. We already know the problems. Solve them for us. Gather the stakeholders, bring everyone together and deal with the issues.”

Despite his criticisms, Kojo Preko commended the Minister’s decision to establish the Black Star Experience Secretariat, describing it as a strategic initiative.

He explained that the office was expected to coordinate the implementation of the government’s creative arts and tourism agenda as outlined in the NDC manifesto.

“The Black Star Experience was strategic because it was supposed to coordinate everything that was promised in the manifesto.”

However, he questioned whether the secretariat was effectively carrying out that responsibility.

“If that office is really coordinating what they said they would do, then we should be seeing visible results. If they are not coordinating, then there is a problem.”

Kojo Preko further expressed disappointment over what he described as the ministry’s limited engagement with industry stakeholders.

According to him, since the government assumed office about 18 months ago, there has not been a comprehensive stakeholders’ meeting or a press conference to brief the creative arts community on ongoing projects, future plans or implementation timelines.

“There have been no stakeholders’ meetings. For one and a half years, there hasn’t been any press conference to tell us what lies ahead. If we have all these problems and we don’t work on them, then it is bad.”

Veteran Ghanaian dancehall artiste Sugar Ranking abruptly walked off the set of a live television interview after a tense exchange with broadcaster Roman Fada over comments concerning fellow musician Shatta Wale.

According to a video shared by Atinka TV on social media, the interview turned confrontational after Sugar Ranking alleged that Shatta Wale has consistently failed to accord him the respect he deserves as one of the senior figures in Ghana’s dancehall fraternity.

Speaking during the interview, Sugar Ranking argued that age and experience should earn him respect from the SM boss.

“Shatta doesn’t respect me. He’s younger than I am. He wants to be an alpha male, but if he’s an alpha male, naturally, I am also older than him, so I can say he doesn’t respect me,” he stated.

As Roman Fada sought further clarification on what he meant by Shatta Wale’s alleged disrespect, the discussion quickly escalated.

Sugar Ranking accused the broadcaster of deliberately attempting to provoke him into making controversial statements about Shatta Wale because of what he described as Roman Fada’s alleged association with the artiste.

“I can see you’re setting me up today, but I know you support Shatta Wale. Before I came here, I did my research on you, so I know you do campaigns for Shaxi. That is why you’re pushing me to say something,” he alleged.

Roman Fada immediately rejected the accusation, insisting that he is a professional broadcaster and has never personally met Shatta Wale.

“I am a professional broadcaster. I don’t support Shatta Wale. I have never met him. But he’s doing something good, so I spoke about it. I am simply saying don’t say things about him when he’s not here to defend himself,” Roman Fada responded.

Sugar Ranking further claimed that in recent times, some people have been trying to create unnecessary tension between him and Ghana’s two biggest dancehall artistes, Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy.

According to him, social media users have falsely accused him of receiving money from Shatta Wale to publicly attack Stonebwoy and members of the Bhim Nation camp.

He denied those allegations, maintaining that his only concern has always been the issue of respect.

“What I am saying is someone came on live and said Shatta Wale has paid me to go on TV and destroy Bhim Nation. For what? I only said Shatta doesn’t respect me because dancehall is a culture, and I am older. So when he sees me, he must call me father, but he doesn’t. That’s why I say he doesn’t respect me,” he explained.

Roman Fada, however, insisted that Sugar Ranking should withdraw his remarks, stressing that he would not allow his platform to be used to make allegations against someone who was not present to respond.

The broadcaster advised the dancehall veteran to settle any personal issues directly with Shatta Wale rather than using the interview to air grievances.

“If you have a personal problem with him, then it’s better you leave here and go solve it with him,” Roman Fada said.

Moments after the remark, Sugar Ranking stood up from his seat and walked out of the studio, bringing the live interview to an abrupt end.