The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has issued a firm directive ordering all individuals occupying abandoned community cinemas across the country to vacate the facilities immediately. The move, she explained, is crucial to pave the way for the government’s ambitious plan to refurbish and revive Ghana’s long-neglected community cinema infrastructure.
The directive was issued during the Minister’s two-day working tour of the Ashanti Region, where she inspected tourism and creative arts sites and held extensive stakeholder engagements aimed at strengthening the creative industry.
Mrs. Gomashie emphasized that the abandoned cinema structures, scattered across many towns and districts, remain strategic assets with major potential for community development, filmmaking growth, and creative arts promotion.
“These community cinemas are key assets for reviving our film culture and boosting local creativity. We cannot proceed with renovation works while people continue to occupy them unlawfully. They must vacate immediately,” she stated.
Reviving Film Culture and Strengthening Creative Economy
The Minister noted that the refurbishment project forms part of a broader government agenda to:
- rejuvenate local film production,
- create vibrant community entertainment hubs,
- boost cultural preservation, and
- stimulate job creation within the creative value chain.
During her tour, Mrs. Gomashie held engagements with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), industry players, Kumawood actors, and leaders in the hospitality sector. Discussions centred on repositioning the Ashanti Region as a more attractive tourism hub while building a stronger and more profitable creative arts ecosystem.
Kumawood Raises Alarm Over High GRA Taxes
At the stakeholder meeting, the General Secretary of the Kumawood Actors Association, Emmanuel Anane, expressed serious concerns about the heavy taxes imposed by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on filmmakers, particularly after movie premieres.
“High taxes are crippling our industry. Filmmakers struggle to recover investments, and these charges make it difficult for the industry to grow,” he lamented.
Industry stakeholders called for tax reforms, policy support, and infrastructure development to ensure a competitive and sustainable movie industry.
Next Steps in Government’s National Creative Agenda
Mrs. Gomashie is expected to continue her regional tours, assessing more cultural sites and consulting with creative professionals as government intensifies efforts to position tourism and creative arts as major contributors to national development.
The eviction order marks a significant step toward the long-awaited restoration of Ghana’s community cinemas, once vibrant spaces expected to play a renewed role in education, entertainment, and creative expression.
