Appropriate investment vital for creativity boost -Samini
Well-known Ghanaian musician, Samini, has said in France that artists often produce their best when they concentrate fully on their art and are not inconvenienced by looking for resources to fund what they do.
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Speaking as part of a panel that discussed investment opportunities in Ghana during the maiden edition of the Ghana-EU Tourism & Investment Summit (GHETIS24) in Paris, France, Samini pointed out that when artists have to go out and do side jobs for money to support their art, their focus is affected.
GHETIS24 was a Trade Mission and Tourism Investment Conference and other activities that sought to promote Ghana’s tourism, entertainment and hospitality sectors as well as other viable areas for investment. It was a private-public collaboration held in various locations in Paris from March 6 to March 8, 2024.
“My concentration on the art form is not going to be a 100 per cent when I have to worry about money for what I’m doing. That means the end product is also not likely to be 100 per cent as good as it could be.
“With the right funding partner, everyone involved in the chain of production would be taken care of. We need investment as creative people, to be able to take our art forms to the rest of the world,” Samini stated.
He said he had done things singlehandedly for more than two decades and also done his best to stay afloat. To him, he was an example of what happens without any help whatsoever and an example also of what could happen should there be some push to what he was about.
An artiste who had been brand ambassador for high profile companies in Ghana for years and still a brand ambassador for financial institutions and other bodies, Samini emphasized that he had the track record for potential investors to talk to in order to get to the right offices and institutions.
The GHETIS24 panel discussion also featured France-based tourism expert, Mr. David Neequaye who is also the CEO of Harmattan Birds; Mr. Kwabena Otu, Executive Member of the Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUGHA) and the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture, Mr. Mark Okraku Mantey.
The Deputy Minister eloquently talked about Ghana’s peaceful environment and the fact that opportunities exist for investment in hotels and other types of accommodation as well as in restaurants, eco-tourism, aviation sports and other facilities across the country.
He also mentioned that the creative industry continued to be an important part of Ghana’s tourism industry, adding that the successes of the Year of Return and the Beyond the Return initiatives were actually driven by the creative industry.
The panel discussion was moderated by Ms Joan Murielle, CEO of JMH Group. The event was hosted by Milly Antwi, CEO of Klesis Franchiseur.
GHETIS24 was produced by Maxine Reindorf-Partey and Verus Nartey, the respective CEOs of Ghana Invest and Made In Ghana Consulting Ltd for the Destination Ghana Global Project (DGGP).
It was organised in partnership with the Ghana Embassy in France; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture; Ministry of Trade & Industry; Obokese Foundation with support from the French Embassy in Ghana and sponsored by various partners.
