Government is being urged to prioritise investment in Ghana’s visual arts industry as a strategic pathway to unlock economic value, expand creative exports and stimulate job creation.
George Buma Ampratwum, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Painting and Sculpture at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), said the visual arts sector holds strong long-term commercial potential but remains undercapitalised.
Speaking in an interview in Kumasi, he explained that with the right policy support and investment, the industry could evolve into a major contributor to Ghana’s non-traditional exports while attracting foreign direct investment through creative trade partnerships.
He noted that Ghana’s visual arts value chain extends far beyond conventional disciplines such as painting, sculpture, drawing, graphic design and photography.
It also includes commercially viable segments like metal works, textiles, fashion, weaving and wood carving sub-sectors with significant potential for industrial growth and export earnings.
According to Dr Ampratwum, these segments, if properly structured and financed, could feed into global supply chains in fashion, interior décor and cultural products, positioning Ghana as a competitive player in the global creative economy.
He pointed to private sector participation as evidence of the industry’s viability, citing Ibrahim Mahama as an example of an investor leveraging opportunities within the space through the development of a prominent art exhibition hub in Tamale.
The lecturer emphasised that scaling such private initiatives through public investment and incentives could catalyse broader industry growth, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises operating within the creative arts ecosystem.
He also highlighted the role of cultural events in market development, commending Frank Amoakohene for introducing the Street Arts Festival as part of AshantiFest 2026.
The initiative provided a platform for Senior High School visual arts students to showcase their work, helping to bridge the gap between talent development and market exposure.
Dr Ampratwum argued that such initiatives, if sustained and scaled, could serve as incubation channels for emerging artists, while also driving tourism and local economic activity.
From an economic policy perspective, he called for targeted government interventions, including subsidising the cost of raw materials used in art production to improve affordability and output.
He further proposed that government could directly support the market by procuring artworks as part of a national art investment programme, thereby injecting liquidity into the sector while preserving Ghana’s cultural assets.
To address infrastructure gaps, he recommended the establishment of at least one modern exhibition centre in each region to facilitate trade, exhibitions and international showcases, which would enhance the commercial visibility of Ghanaian artists.
Additionally, he urged the Centre for National Culture to organise continuous professional training programmes to improve the technical and entrepreneurial capacity of artists.
Dr Ampratwum stressed that a coordinated approach combining infrastructure development, skills training and financial support would enable the visual arts industry to deliver measurable economic returns, positioning it as a key pillar in Ghana’s broader creative economy strategy.
