Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture Catherine Afeku has defused criticisms as to why President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s daughter was appointed to the Creative Arts Council.
The Minister has urged critics to be circumspect in their comments stressing that Gyankroma Akufo-Addo is more than qualified to be appointed to the Council.
Madam Afeku on Wednesday inaugurated a new Creative Arts Council, headed by Mark Okraku Mantey, at a ceremony at the Ministry in Accra.
Also appointed to the Council was Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, daughter of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and actress Bibi Bright, who will serve as Secretary.
The three-member team, according to the Minister, would select the rest of the Council’s members and also set up the right framework for the council.
Some industry players have questioned Gyankroma Akufo-Addo’s appointment to the Council considering that she is not a known industry person.
The sector Minister defusing the criticisms explained in an interview with Joy News that, “President’s children have a right to work. It is [in] the Constitution and they are Ghanaians by birth, by right and her credentials speak volumes.”
She further defended that, “The people in the industry when they heard her were mesmerized that it is not just being a daughter of a president but [she] is passionate, she is very well respected in the industry worldwide and he has the credentials to back it.”
“I think we also need to stay away from this notion of if you are a child or a relative of a leader and you are qualified you cannot be given a position.
"I need to put it and put it very firmly that this is a sector that enjoins all creative people. She is extremely qualified and I am the one to work with her and not her father,” Madam Afeku reiterated.
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