Gov’t’s non-commitment hindering corporate investment in the creative sector — Kwasi Ernest

Ghanaian entertainment critic and artiste manager, Kwasi Ernest has expressed worry over what he describes as government’s lack of commitment to support corporate bodies.

According to him, the Government’s lack of commitment to support corporate bodies has resulted in them (corporate bodies) not showing interest in investing in the creative sector.

Speaking as a panelist on the recently held Graphic Showbiz’s X Dialogue Series on the topic Making Gospel Events Attractive to Corporate Sponsorship, Kwasi Ernest, pointed out some of the challenges faced by corporate bodies in investing in the creative sector, particularly sponsoring gospel events.

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The Chief Executive officer (CEO) of Media Excel opined that the government’s failure to provide tax incentives among others for companies has contributed to the reluctance of corporate Ghana to support events in the creative sector. He further emphasised the need for an enabling environment for corporate bodies, asserting that would encourage companies to invest in various sectors, including the Creatives.

“I have noticed that with every sponsorship, we should be able to ask ourselves the cost of living in this country and its impact on the companies and how much gain they’re making vis-a-vis expenditure, taxes and logistics,” he said.

The artist manager, to a greater extent, criticised the lack of tangible benefits for companies engaging in sponsorship, indicating that “No company has come out to say that because I sponsored this programme, I’ve had incentives,” he added.

To him, the absence of these stimulus packages discourages corporate entities from actively participating in supporting the creative arts.