The Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Herbert Krapa, has commended Ghanaian artists for helping to promote the country internationally through creative art.
Addressing participants of the 2021 edition of Sound Out Premium Art Exhibition held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), Mr. Krapa, said art pieces produced by renowned artists like Larry Otoo, Zohra Opoku, Ibrahim Mahama and Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, have been recognised internationally for their high standards and unique styles that positively project the image of Ghana globally.
He said platforms such as Sound Out will improve Ghanaian patronage, increase awareness of Ghanaian artworks, and facilitate the sharing of market information for the benefit of local artists.
“A study of 10 galleries in Accra, done by the International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, showed that tourists consumed 64% of our artefacts while indigenous Ghanaians patronised 36%,” he said.
“Closing up the consumption gap will involve the re-orientation of the mindset of the Ghanaian, through platforms such as the Sound Out Premium Art Exhibition, that gives prominence and exposure both to the artists and to consumers,” he added.
The CEO of Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) Dr. Afua Asabea Asare, said the government’s support for the art sector is aligned to one of the key pillars of the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS).
Launched in the last quarter of 2020, NEDS is to harness available resources to boost production for export to achieve a revenue of USD25.3 billion by the year 2029.
Dr. Asabea Asare said GEPA is committed to promoting Sound Out to become an African art festival where artists from all over the continent will attend to showcase their works.
The Chairman of the Ghana Association of Visual Artists (GAVA), Nii-Ayi Akwetey Hyde, lauded GEPA for supporting the local art sector by spearheading the Sound Out initiative and other art exhibitions.
He suggested the establishment of a modern national museum and gallery for indigenous art, adding that the Accra Art Centre is in a deplorable state.
