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Ghana�s cultural policy is to be reviewed soon to give it a clear sense of direction, says Chieftaincy and Culture Minister, Alexander Asum-Ahensah. �The time has come to give the cultural sector a new direction that will take into account a policy guideline to enhance the capacity of the creative industries and their goods and services,� he said. The minister stated this in a speech read on his behalf by the Chief Director of the ministry, Ms Lillian Bruce-Lyle, at a workshop organized by the Ghana Association of Phonographic Industry (GAPI) in Accra last Friday. The workshop on the theme, �Revision of cultural policy� which reviewed the country�s cultural policy was organized in collaboration with the Business Advocacy Challenge Account (BUSAC) fund. Mr Asum-Ahensah said the importance of the creative economy in building the nation could not be over-emphasized, adding that the creative industry contributed immensely to the $12 billion raised by the country in 2007 through non-traditional exports. He said like the developed countries, Ghana could ride on the back of the creative industry to build the economy and create employment for its citizens. Mr Asum-Ahensah said in Europe, a recent study prepared for the European Commission showed that the creative economy was expanding at 12 per cent faster, than the overall economy and accounted for 4.7 million jobs in 2004. He however, said Ghana had not been able to harness the potentials of the creative industry, and attributed that to lack of access to market, limited funds for the industry and non-competitive business practices. He said the review was not only timely but also relevant, and urged the GAPI to provide the ministry with decisions to be taken at the workshop, to be incorporated into the five-year strategic plan which is being formulated. Industry players at the workshop expressed regret that the creative industry was sidelined in the organization of national programmes, citing the examples of the UNCTAD 12 Conference, the Ghana @50 and the Kwame Nkrumah centenary celebration. The industry players also lamented that culture was not given the necessary attention in the curriculum of schools. Kojo Antwi, an ace musician, stressed the need for musicians to be supported, saying music was an important tool for national development citing its use the fight slavery and colonialism. An economist at the National planning Development Commission, Kenneth Owusu, urged GAPI to take interest in the national budget, to enable it to raise issues which concerned it. He advised the players in the creative industry to form a united front so that they could easily engage the government in their activities. The Regional Adviser for Culture at UNESCO, Moji Okuribido, urged GAPI to prepare a national data, through which it could lobby for support. Ms Okuribido urged Ghana to ratify the 2004 Convention on Diversity of Cultural Expression, explaining that the convention among other things, stresses international co-operation on culture. Dr Dale Rachmeler, Fund Manager of BUSAC, urged GAPI, to continue its advocacy programmes in its efforts to get the country�s cultural policy reviewed. Mr Francis Mensah Twum, Project Co-ordinator of GAPI, said the old cultural policy did not talk about music and had no sense of direction in terms of monitoring, implementation and evaluation, and pledged that the new policy will address these shortfalls.