Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has recalled Parliament from recess to sit for five days to consider what has been described as urgent parliamentary business.

According to a notice dated Wednesday, August 12, 2026, the Speaker exercised his authority under Order 58(4) of the Standing Orders of Parliament to direct Members of Parliament to return to the House.

Parliament is scheduled to resume sitting at 12 noon on Monday, August 24, 2026, at Parliament House in Accra, with proceedings expected to continue until Friday, August 28.

The notice states that the recall is necessary to enable the House to consider urgent parliamentary business.

However, the Speaker’s notice does not specify the particular matters that will be brought before Parliament during the five-day sitting.

The recall comes less than a month after Parliament went on recess on July 31, 2026.

Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister Abla Dzifa Gomashie has assured comedians that the government is committed to addressing their concerns, following growing frustrations within the creative arts industry over the level of support available to practitioners.

Speaking during the government’s accountability series at the Jubilee House, the Minister acknowledged concerns about the attention given to different creative disciplines, including comedy, and said no particular creative field would be deliberately left behind.

“Comedy, I don’t recall that anything extraordinary was done for comedians. But I believe that all the domains need attention and they deserve attention,” she said.

The Minister said her personal participation in comedy shows demonstrates her appreciation of the contribution comedians make to the creative sector and society.

She explained that she attends comedy shows both in solidarity with practitioners and because entertainment, including humour, plays an important role in people’s lives.

“I can assure them that as we go along, all the domains will receive whatever support that they can through the Creative Arts Agency,” she said.

She encouraged comedians and other creative practitioners to engage directly with the Chief Executive Officer of the Creative Arts Agency and clearly outline the interventions they require.

According to her, while she cannot promise to solve every challenge facing the comedy industry, the government is prepared to listen and explore ways of addressing specific concerns.

“It is not a promise that I can do all things, but at least we will hear them and see how we address the issues going forward,” she added.

 Lekzy’s concerns over unfulfilled promises

The Minister’s comments come against the backdrop of concerns raised by comedian Lekzy at the 9th edition of the Showbiz Roundtable, where he recounted his experience trying to secure government attention to an issue affecting creatives.

According to Lekzy, his last engagement with officials under the previous government ended with a three-way telephone conversation involving himself and Rex Omar, after which he was told that he would hear from the relevant person.

He said that despite the assurance, no further communication followed.

“That was the last call. After the call dropped, I even called somebody to reach out to Mr Rex Omar. It was a three-way call. He said he would hear from him, and that was it,” Lekzy recounted.

He said that under the previous government, he believed such a conversation would have resulted in action, but claimed that nothing came out of it.

“To date, I have not heard from them. Nothing. Zero effort. And we are still here, marking time,” he said.

Lekzy also expressed frustration over what he described as a disconnect between some creatives in government and practitioners in the industry.

He argued that the current administration has a significant number of people with creative industry backgrounds in positions of influence and therefore should be better placed to understand the difficulties facing practitioners.

“It will shock you that some of them, even before they go to power, you can call them, they will pick up your call and have an industry call,” he said.

According to him, the situation changes once such individuals assume political office.

“Now, when you call them, they don’t pick. You get to their PA; they don’t pick up. And it’s quite frustrating,” he added.

 Minister says government is working on long-term reforms

Responding to broader concerns about the sector, Gomashie said the government’s approach is not limited to immediate financial interventions but also involves reforming the legal and policy framework governing Ghana’s creative industries.

She said several of the policies and laws guiding the sector are outdated and need to be reviewed to create a stronger foundation for future governments and industry players.

“We are looking at, as I said, looking at the policy, the cultural policy of Ghana and all the other legal frameworks within which our sector works. All of them are so old, and it’s our focus to ensure that that platform is laid and is solid,” she explained.

The Minister said the objective is to establish a sustainable framework that can serve the creative sector beyond the tenure of the current administration.

She noted that many initiatives undertaken in the creative sector over the years have been largely ad hoc and lacked the necessary legal and institutional backing.

“A lot of the things that we have done for as long as I have been in this industry, 42 years and counting, have usually been ad hoc. There’s no backing, there’s no legal framework around it,” she said.

Gomashie further explained that strengthening the sector’s legal and policy framework would also make it easier for Ghana to engage international partners, foreign governments and other agencies on creative industry matters.

She therefore urged practitioners to bear with the government as it works to put the necessary structures in place.

“Please bear with us as we tighten, we cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s and ensure that our sector is properly structured to deal with the governments and agencies and what have you,” she said.

The Minister has therefore urged comedians to engage the Creative Arts Agency with specific concerns and proposals, as government continues its work on the policy and legal frameworks governing the creative arts sector.

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Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister Abla Dzifa Gomashie has called for the completion of abandoned theatre infrastructure projects across the country, including projects initiated under previous administrations.

The Minister made the call during the government’s Accountability Series when she was asked about the state of abandoned theatre buildings and infrastructure in the country.

Responding to the question, Ms Gomashie said her recommendation to Cabinet was for the government to prioritise the completion of theatre buildings that had been started but left unfinished over the years.

She noted that some of the projects dated as far back as the administration of former President Jerry John Rawlings, stressing the need for the government to find resources to complete the long-standing projects.

“My suggestion to Cabinet is that we finish all the, if we can, all the buildings that were started even from President Rawlings. Some are from that far back,” she said.

According to the Minister, the ability of government to complete such projects would depend largely on the availability of resources, urging Ghanaians to continue paying their taxes to support national development.

She said increased revenue generation would enable government to allocate more resources to sectors such as tourism, culture and the creative arts.

“We just have to keep trying to pay our taxes, make more money for Ghana, so that a lot more will be given to us,” she stated.

Ms Gomashie also disclosed that she had engaged the Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, over the needs of the tourism, culture and creative arts sector and funding priorities for 2027.

She said the Finance Minister had personally sat with her to examine the sector’s needs and what would be required to support its development.

The Minister said she was therefore confident that the sector’s concerns, including infrastructure needs, would receive consideration in the government’s planning for the 2027 financial year.

She explained that the discussions were aimed at identifying the sector’s priorities and determining what could realistically be funded.

“I’m assured by the Minister for Finance, who sat with me… Ato Forson also sat with me to look at the sector and what has to be done and what our needs are for 2027,” she said.

Ms Gomashie further assured stakeholders that she would return to provide an update and validate the commitments made regarding the sector’s infrastructure needs.

“I can assure you, I’ll come back here and give a validation to what I’ve just said,” she added.

The Minister said the completion of the abandoned theatre projects would form part of the discussions on the sector’s infrastructure needs and funding priorities for 2027.

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YouTube is set to significantly raise the requirements creators must meet to earn money through its YouTube Partner Program (YPP), with the new rules taking effect on February 1, 2027.

Under the revised requirements, creators seeking to monetise their channels through advertising and subscriptions will need at least 1,000 subscribers and must achieve either 8,000 eligible public watch hours within the previous 12 months or 20 million eligible Shorts views within 90 days.

The new threshold represents a major increase from the current YPP requirements. At present, creators with 1,000 subscribers can qualify by recording 4,000 watch hours over the previous 12 months or generating 10 million Shorts views within 90 days.

YouTube will also require creators participating in the Shorts monetisation system to maintain at least 10 million Shorts views within 90 days to continue earning from the Shorts Creator Pool. However, creators who fall below that figure will not automatically be removed from the YouTube Partner Program.

Alongside the higher entry requirements, YouTube is expanding access to its lower-cost Premium Lite subscription. The service is expected to become available in every country where YouTube Premium is offered.

YouTube distributes part of its subscription revenue to creators according to factors such as watch time and views. The company currently allocates 55 per cent of the relevant revenue to long-form content and 45 per cent to Shorts.

According to YouTube, creators could potentially earn more as Premium membership expands because subscribers may generate greater revenue for partners than viewers who are served advertisements.

The changes come as YouTube continues to position itself as more than a traditional online video platform. The company is increasingly competing for viewers’ attention with major streaming services such as Netflix, HBO Max and Disney+, while seeking to strengthen its subscription-based business.

YouTube is also introducing additional activity requirements for creators who want to remain eligible to earn through advertising and subscriptions.

Under the new rules, creators will need to maintain at least one of the following levels of activity: 1,000 watch hours during the previous 12 months, one million Shorts views, or regular uploads consisting of at least two long-form videos or five Shorts every 90 days.

The platform already has a policy allowing it to remove channels from the YPP when creators have not uploaded a video or made a post on the Community Posts tab for six months or longer.

Creators who are already members of the YouTube Partner Program will also have to accept the updated terms by January 31, 2027, if they want to continue earning money from their content under the programme.

The new rules mean creators, particularly those relying on long-form videos or Shorts for income, will have to significantly increase their audience engagement and content activity to remain eligible for YouTube monetisation from February 2027.

Source: The Verge

The Foundation of Concerned Arts Professionals (FOCAP) has raised serious questions over the government’s progress in delivering its manifesto promises to Ghana’s creative arts, culture and tourism sector.

The concerns follow Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister Abla Dzifa Gomashie’s appearance at the government’s accountability series at the Jubilee House, where she presented an account of her ministry’s work since the Mahama administration assumed office.

While FOCAP welcomed the opportunity for the minister to account for her stewardship, it said the presentation failed to address what it considers the most important question facing the sector: where are the government’s major manifesto promises?

FOCAP said its assessment of the sector one year into the Mahama administration resulted in a zero per cent score because, in its view, the government’s key commitments had not been sufficiently implemented.

Black Star Experience at the Centre of FOCAP’s Concerns

At the centre of FOCAP’s criticism is the Black Star Experience.

The organisation said the initiative was presented as a flagship year-round national programme designed to showcase Ghanaian film, music, fashion, heritage and other aspects of the country’s creative economy.

Although the programme was launched at the Black Star Square as part of President Mahama’s 100-day achievements, FOCAP said the launch has not been followed by the level of implementation expected from such a major manifesto commitment.

The organisation said the initiative is now “almost invisible” and continues to struggle for adequate institutional support and recognition.

FOCAP was also critical of what it described as the failure to properly acknowledge the coordinating office of the Black Star Experience, which it said is situated under the Office of the President.

The group maintained that the minister’s inability, in its view, to clearly address the Black Star Experience when questioned about it during the accountability session raises concerns about the ministry’s focus on the government’s core manifesto commitments.

Film Sector Target ‘Not an Achievement’

FOCAP also challenged the presentation of the National Film Authority’s plans to increase the film industry’s contribution to Ghana’s GDP from 0.2 per cent to one per cent.

The organisation said such a target represents an ambition rather than an achievement because the proposed increase has not yet been realised.

It cited the NFA’s Reviving Ghana’s Film Industry: A Vision for Growth document and argued that the document’s stated objective was to engage one per cent of Ghana’s population in local cinema culture within two years through improved distribution and exhibition.

FOCAP therefore questioned whether the GDP target was being presented in a manner that could give the impression of an accomplishment when it remains a medium-term objective.

The group also rejected the idea that activities such as the National Film Dialogue should be treated as major achievements under the government’s manifesto, describing such initiatives as routine sector activities.

Creative Arts Fund Raises Questions

The GH¢40 million Creative Arts Fund was another area addressed by FOCAP.

The organisation said it welcomed the inclusion of the seed funding in the 2026 budget, describing it as consistent with the government’s promise to establish a creative arts fund.

However, it stressed that the fund requires the appropriate legislative framework before it can be fully operationalised and disbursed.

FOCAP consequently questioned why the National Film Authority had started inviting enterprises to access a GH¢5 million seed fund while the Creative Arts Agency had not commenced a similar process.

It called for clarification on the legal basis and implementation process surrounding the funding.

Creators Still Waiting for Support

FOCAP further pointed to government commitments to support young digital content creators.

According to the organisation, the manifesto promised structured support to enable young creators to develop commercially viable content and thrive in the digital economy.

FOCAP said that despite the rapid growth of Ghana’s online creative community, there is still no clearly identifiable government platform, programme or dedicated funding line addressing this promise.

The organisation also raised concerns about copyright protection.

It said stronger copyright enforcement was promised to protect artists and creators from piracy and unauthorised monetisation of their works but argued that the sector has yet to see visible strengthening of enforcement mechanisms.

 Routine Work Cannot Replace Manifesto Delivery

FOCAP said the ministry must distinguish between routine administrative work and the implementation of manifesto promises.

“The normal sector ministry work and procedural work should not be seen and termed as achievements,” the organisation argued, insisting that the government must instead demonstrate how it is delivering the commitments made to industry stakeholders.

The group said the biggest frustration was not only the major projects still awaiting implementation but also the relatively inexpensive interventions that could have been delivered through political will.

FOCAP called for a clearer account of the government’s performance, particularly on the Black Star Experience, digital creator support, copyright enforcement and the Creative Arts Fund.

The statement was signed by FOCAP President Kojo Preko Dankwa, Vice President for Research Enoch Agyepong and Vice President Mel Kwasi Davis.