The Creative Industry As An Economic Asset For Ghana's Development

Historically,elements of the creative industry that is arts and culture were seen as tools for aesthetic and entertainment purposes.However,in recent years,the role that the arts and culture have been playing has drastically changed.Many countries believe that they are important to their economic development.These elements have been placed under one industry called the creative industry.It is believed that the creative industry is of direct benefit to the economic growth of any country.This is because of their potential for creating jobs,attracting investment for a country,revenue generating and ability to advance a country's local economy through tourism and purchases made by consumers.The creative industry is again believed to be able to impregnate other industries by adding creativity to their products and services so that they appeal more to the public.In addition to aiding in a person's adaptability to the contemporary workforce,the creative industry is able to improve the quality of life for any group of people.Because of that,the arts and culture are important for the development of communities and improvement of local amenities.Arts and culture have appeared in many forms and disciplines and they keep delivering a wide range of entertainment,inspiration,transformative values and economic development to economies.This project explores what factors are needed for the creative industry to become an asset for the development of Ghana's economy.It did this by firstly,understanding the current economic situation of Ghana,and then explored ways that Ghana could incorporate the arts and culture into its nation-wide planning strategies and how these strategies can provide support for the Ghanaian creative industry and then how to incorporate the creative industry into developmental plans and tourism strategies for the advancement of Ghana's economy.It cited specific examples and strategies that Ghana could adopt for economic development.The research aims to show the relationship between the Ghanaian economic development and its creative industry.This study which was conducted in Ghana,randomly chose 300 respondents to take part in the research process.The study design adopted the quantitative descriptive research approach.Interviews conducted and questionnaires allocated were done over a period of five months.The study examined the factors and elements of the creative industry and their effect on Ghana as well as on the respondents and then results presented.The research showed that,with the right tools and the correct incorporation of the arts,culture and tourism in the economy,it is possible that Ghana can improve and develop its economy.The study again showed that art education and developing the right strategies for integrating the creative industry into Ghana's growth is essential to this process and that the creative industry of Ghana is Ghana's economic asset.The study concludes that,understanding the creative industry,setting and implementing strategies to improve it,is vital to the economic development of Ghana.