Kwasi Ernest Lack of gov’t commitment hinders corporate investment in creative sector —Kwasi Ernest

CEO of Media Excel and artiste manager Kwasi Ernest has indicated his frustration with what he describes as government’s lack of commitment to support corporate bodies.

This, to him, has resulted in corporate bodies not showing interest in investing in the creative industry.

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

He pointed out 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 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.

He further criticised the lack of tangible benefits for companies engaging in sponsorship, noting, “No company has come out to say because I sponsored this programme, I’ve had incentives,” he added.

According to Kwasi Ernest, the absence of these stimulus packages discourages corporate entities from actively participating in supporting the creative arts.