By Dennis Osei Gyamfi, GNA
Accra, March 21, GNA - The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Ghana, in collaboration with WELTFILME.org, has begun a three-day consultation dubbed: “Kick off Conference” to establish a Media Hub Education Centre (MHEC) in Accra.
WELTFILME.org is a Berlin based Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) that uses films for development.
The conference, which opened on Tuesday in Accra, has drawn stakeholders and experts in the television and film industry to discuss how the MHEC could take advantage of the economic opportunities within the film industry.
The MHEC would serve as a centre for film production projects and networking as well as low-threshold film school with continuous qualification of West African filmmakers.
It would train the students to become responsible media producers, improve their job opportunities in the media and serve the West Africa sub-region.
Mr Kwabena Nketia Addae, the Executive Director of YMCA Ghana, said the conference is expected to build on the successes of the ‘All on Board’ film project initiated by the YMCA Ghana and WELTFIME.org in March 2018.
He said the initiative had, so far, trained more than 80 young talented filmmakers and film producers in the fields of writing, editing and in the production of fictional and documentary films.
He said the beneficiaries of initiatives continued to excel in the production of films that uncover the untold stories in the African society, adding; “Our trainers and trainees have become a pool of talents in the sub region, using the medium film to address key questions in their respective communities.”
Mr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Deputy Minister of Education, who opened the conference, congratulated the YMCA and WELTFILME.org for their collaboration and decision to build the hub in Ghana.
He assured them of government’s support for the project and said they should work closely with the Ministry towards a holistic education of the youth.
Mr Adutwum said the film industry, through films and documentaries, projected the Ghanaian culture and value systems and served as a tool for educating the citizens.
“As part of our commitment to ensuring the sustainability of this sector, and harnessing it with other key skills for development, government has decided to merge the National Film and Television Industry (NAFTI) with the Ghana Institute of Journalism and the Ghana Institute of Languages into a single university,” he said.
He said the process to upgrade and further invest in the institutions was expected to be finalised later this year, adding that it would go a long way to enhance the media space and its allied disciplines.
Mr Adutwum said the establishment of the media hub in Ghana would enhance the standing of the country as far as media and film production was concerned
Mr Hans-Helge Sander, the Deputy Head of Missions at the German Embassy, said with 50 per cent of Ghana’s population below 16 years, it was vital for the young generation to be taught media and film making to create employment opportunities and provide high-quality content to the citizens.
“We are glad that Germany contributes to the development of strong and professional media institutions and look forward to seeing Ghana’s media industry grow in size as well as in professionalism,” he said
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