Arts practitioners should be assured of my engagement and support – Barbara Oteng Gyasi

The Arts sector which has suffered neglect over the years and met with dissatisfaction and agitation is finally receiving renewed hope of going to be engaged and supported.

The minister-designate for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Barbara Oteng Gyasi during her vetting with the Appointment Committee on Friday, March 15, 2019, admitted her awareness of the agitation in the creative industry because of the feeling of being neglected.

This she explained was due to the attention given more to Tourism at the neglect of the Creative Arts because the ministry was initially a Tourism Ministry and the Creative Arts was a later addition.

“Since my nomination, I have also become aware of the dissatisfaction of the creative arts industry. I believe they feel a bit neglected because the ministry started off as the Ministry of Tourism and later on, the creative arts was brought under the umbrella of the ministry and I think for years, the focus has been on tourism and for that reason, creative arts sector feels neglected,” she explained.

The Minister Designate, Barbara Oteng Gyasi promised she is going to pay great attention to the Arts Sector and will treat them as her baby which needs all the attention to grow and thrive.

“As I come in, I am going to pay great attention to the Creative Arts sector. I will see them as my baby because they have come in later and therefore, they deserve the attention to thrive. When I assume office, I will engage them and get to know all the issues of concern and together strategize and support the sector so that they can also generate revenue for the country,” she said.

“So the Creative Arts sector should be assured of my commitment and my support to drive the sector that will deliver,” she added.

The minister-designate further revealed the unavailability of technical personnel in the ministry dedicated solely to the Creative Arts. In view of that, she promised to establish a Technical Directorate to supervise the activities and programs of the Creative Arts sector.

“I will institute a Technical Directorate and assign a technical person who will coordinate programs and activities of the Creative Art sector. I will also advocate for the passage of the Creative Arts Bill into an Act,” she stated.

Barbara Oteng Gyasi, before her reshuffle, was the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and a Member of Parliament for Prestea Huni-Valley constituency in the Western Region.

Born on October 5, 1964, she has a degree in law and MBA in Human Resource Management from the University of Ghana and has worked as the Head of Legal Department in Vivo Energy Ghana Limited.

Hon. Barbara Oteng Gyasi is married to Mr. Tony Oteng Gyasi, President of the Association of Ghana Industries, and Managing Director and Chairman of Tropical Cable and Conductor Ltd, a wholly Ghanaian owned manufacturer of electrical cables. They have five (5) children.