January 12

WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH
DAILY HERITAGE FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2018
•Gyankroma Akufo-Addo,
a member of the Creative
Arts Council
Rahim Banda
named Ghana Jobs
Bank ambassador
Akufo-Addo’s
daughter
abandons job?
YOUNG ACTOR Rahim
Banda has been unveiled as
one of the ambassadors of
Ghana Jobs Bank Initiative at
a ceremony tointroduce Ex-
President J. A. Kufuor as the
initiative’s patron.
The Ghana Job Bank Initiative
– a subsidiary of
EON3 Group Company Limited
– is a social media and
digital marketing initiative that
seeks to create employment
opportunities for the youth.
Under the initiative, which
is divided into two sections,
namely ‘Business Incubator’
and ‘Ghana Smart Youth’,
Ghanaian youth are expected
to be mentored on entrepreneurship
and trained in software
engineering and
open-data platform system.
Those who are to benefit
from the ‘Ghana Smart
Youth’ segment of the project
are expected to be offered internship
programmes in
Dubai, India and the United
States.
Former President Kufuor,
who accepted his new role as
the patron, observed that the
introduction of the initiative
was timely, considering the
high levels of unemployment
in the country.
The unveiling ceremony
was held at the ex-president’s
residence and attended by a
number of dignitaries.
Rahim Banda, who is already
a Free SHS ambassador,
and Steven Blessing Ackah,
first Ghanaian to chair the
G200 Youth Summit, were
named as the ambassadors for
the initiative.
Sarkodie, Nana Aba
Anamoah and Joselyn Dumas
were among entertainment
personalities who were present
to support the initiative.
LAST YEAR a threemember
committee
was set up by the
Minister of
Tourism, Arts and
Culture. It included
President Nana Addo
Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s
daughter Gyankroma Akufo-
Addo, Mark Okraku Mantey
as President and Bibi Bright
as Secretary. However, reliable
information gathered by
entertainmentgh.com indicates
that Miss Akufo-Addo,
has abandoned the office and
her responsibilities as Director
of the Creative Arts Council.
“She has not been seen at
the office for quite a long
time, especially after the
Council got its new office at
the Accra Tourism Expo Centre,”
a reliable source confirmed.
Gyankroma has also failed
to show up at meetings relating
to the Creative Arts Council
at the Ministry for a long
time.
One source also said
Gyankorama’s desertion of
the Council started when the
three-member team faced
some ‘frustration’ in getting
an office and resources for its
operations after it was inaugurated.
“She is operating from her
own office and clearly, it has
nothing to do with the Council,
especially when she does
not show up for meetings,”
the source stated.
The Ministry of Tourism,
Arts and Culture, in consultation
with key stakeholders,
appointed a three-member to
lead the Creative Arts Council
in March, last year and the
team, as part of its terms of
reference, was supposed to
embark on a road-show
across the country, to nominate
members that would
make up the Creative Arts
Council.
Catherine Afeku, the Minister
of Tourism, Arts and
Culture, in her introduction of
the team to the media, said
the nominations to the Council
would be in consultation
with Creative Arts Associations.
She said as per their mandate,
the team would also select
veterans in the industry to
form a five-member governing
board, which would guide
the activities of the Council.
Entertainmentgh.com has
tried to reach out to the President
of the three-member
team, Okraku Mantey, on the
neglect of the Council by
Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, but
he is yet to respond to the
calls and messages.
•Rahim Banda (L)
with Sarkodie after
the ceremony