By Hafsa Obeng/Patrick Ofoe Nudzi
Accra, Feb.1, GNA – The National Commission on Culture (NCC) has renewed calls for the amendment of its establishing statute to provide a clear legal framework that will strengthen cultural governance and coordination in the country.
Mr Wakefield Akuaku, Acting Executive Director of the Commission, made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, describing the current statute as the Commission’s single biggest operational challenge.
He explained that the PNDC Law 238, which established the NCC, originally placed several cultural agencies under the Commission, but subsequent reforms had made many of those bodies autonomous, resulting in overlapping and unclear mandates.
“Today, almost all those institutions are entities of their own with their own governing boards, and so our mandates crisscross,” Mr Akuaku said.
He noted that the absence of a clear and updated statute had limited the Commission’s authority to effectively coordinate, regulate and validate cultural activities across Ghana.
He said cultural events were often organised without recourse to the Commission, sometimes resulting in activities that did not align with national cultural values and standards.
Mr Akuaku said the NCC should be empowered by law to play a coordinating role similar to regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drugs Authority, where cultural events would require engagement with the Commission before and after execution.
“It should not just be about knowing that an event is happening. There must also be a post-event assessment to determine whether our cultural mandate has been upheld,” he added.
Mr. Akuaku said a clearer statute would also strengthen inter-agency collaboration and reduce duplication of efforts within the cultural sector.
He linked the need for legal reform to the revision of the national cultural policy, last updated in 2004, noting that a modern policy framework would help align culture with contemporary social, creative and economic realities.
Strengthening the legal and policy environment would enable the NCC to better support the government’s 24-hour economy, he noted.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe