Ms Excellencial Betty Boatemaa, the Finance and Grants Assistant of the AEPC at Goethe-Institut, speaking at the ceremony, said the project was being funded by the European Union (EU) to last for three years, from March 2025 to February 2028.
She said the project aimed to strengthen partnerships between cultural platforms, events and organisations across the African continent and beyond.

Additionally, the project aimed to equip West African festival professionals and artists with the skills necessary for international engagement.

Ms Boatemaa said a maximum of €100,000 and a minimum of €4,000 grants had been made available to artists, creators and organisations who may win the grant competition.
She said the grants for the project were under three components made up of the Sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa and South Africa.

According to her, Ghana was eligible to apply for grants under the Sub-Saharan Africa and the West Africa indicating a greater opportunity for artists, creators and organisations.

Whiles the grant under the West Africa countries targeted organisations into festival genres like cinema, music, heritage, literature, performing arts and visual arts, the Sub-Saharan Africa was available to both organisations and individuals.

“Before you apply for the grant under the West African country, you need to register your organisation, have a five year experience in organising yearly festivals and make available other important documents which may be required,” said Ms Boatemaa.

However, she said the most important documents required for the application of a Mobility Grant under the Sub-Saharan Africa was a portfolio of the individual or the organisation.

“The Sub-Saharan Africa grant provided grants for mobility.

If you have received an invite from another country or with the country and have no means of transportation and accommodation, you are eligible to apply as an individual or a group,” explained Ms Boatemaa.

She entreated eligible persons to visit the GOETHE APPLICATION PORTAL which would be closed by November 02, 2025 to apply for the grant.

Ms Alice Otchere Johnson, the Cluster Coordinator of the AEPC at the Goethe-Institut, Ghana, said the West African countries were considered due to a research conducted some years ago.

According to her, findings revealed that West African countries had a lot of festivals (not the traditional ones) but kept dwindling over time.

The project was therefore, to encourage and promote West African countries to host contemporary festivals that fell within the required festival genres to be sponsored.

Ms Johnson thanked the Ministry for Culture and the National Commission on Culture for their support to the launch of the projects in three regions, including the Northern Region of the country.

Ms Araba Abokoma Essuman, the Deputy Director for the Centre for National Culture entreated groups and organisations in the artistic field to register their groups as it served as a great requirement in grant applications.
She also appealed to the artisans to adapt to the current trend of globalisation by polishing their arts and crafts, and equipping themselves with enough knowledge to fit into the trend.