The 2024 National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC) has officially been launched – with events scheduled to take place from October 25 to 31 in Techiman, Bono East Region.

The announcement was made today at a media launch held at the Africa Intercontinental Free Trade Area Secretariat in Accra, where a planning committee was also inaugurated.

The event attracted numerous high-profile attendees, including the Deputy Minister for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Hon. Mark Okraku Mantey, Bono East Regional Minister, Hon. Kwasi Adu Gyan, and the Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture, Nana Otuo Owoahene Acheampong, among others.

In his address, Nana Otuo Owoahene Acheampong emphasized NAFAC’s vital role in promoting Ghana as a safe and attractive destination for tourists, thereby boosting the nation’s tourism sector and foreign earnings.

He highlighted this year’s theme, “Beyond NAFAC at 60: Harnessing Culture, the Pivot for Ghana’s Democracy and Sustainable Development,” noting its significance in leveraging culture to advance national development.

“NAFAC has projected our country as the most safe, reliable, and conducive destination for tourists and leisure seekers, thereby helping to boost tourism and increase foreign earnings for our country.

Many traditional technological inventions help our medical knowledge of nature and heritage. Rich values and norms as well as unique social and cultural practices have been highlighted during the celebration of this festival.

 This year’s festival aims to provide a platform for mobilizing stakeholders in the arts and culture industry to interact, showcase talents and creativity, and project the values of our heritage as well as develop the spirit of national identity and pride. Ladies and gentlemen, NAFAC 2024 in Tetiman will present a unique opportunity for the good people and the Bono East region as a whole to highlight the beauty, uniqueness, resilience, social, cultural, and economic endowment of the good people of the Bono East region to the rest of the world and to create an enabling environment for investments and businesses to thrive.

This year’s festival is under the theme Beyond NAFAC at 60, Harnessing Culture, the Pivot for Ghana’s Democracy and Sustainable Development and it is expected to lead us to have a conversation on the significant role of our culture and heritage in shaping the country’s governance and democracy as well as ensuring sustainable and national growth. It is an undeniable fact that our culture holds the potential to empower us in achieving sustainable development in all facets of our lives.”

Hon. Mark Okraku Mantey, the Deputy Minister for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, called for a shift in focus at cultural events, from tangible aspects like dance and music to intangible ones, particularly behaviour.

He argued that addressing behavioural issues such as corruption is crucial for Ghana’s progress and can attract greater private-sector investment.

The Bono East Regional Minister, Hon. Kwasi Adu Gyan, welcomed the festival’s relocation to his region, emphasizing the potential benefits it could bring in terms of cultural exchange and economic development.

“NAFAC  has over the years provided a unique platform for creative and cultural practitioners from across the regions to showcase their talents, purpose, and innovations. This festival not only highlights the diversity and vibrancy of Guinean culture but also serves as a converging point of ideas and collaborations that drive progress and unity in our dear country. Ladies and gentlemen, as we prepare to host this prestigious festival in the Honu East Region, we are reminded of the immense responsibility and opportunity it presents to us as a people and as a region.

NAFAC, celebrated biennially in various regions across Ghana, is a vibrant showcase of the country’s diverse cultural heritage.

This year’s event in Bono East will feature cultural displays from all 16 regions, with the participation of regional ministers and paramount chiefs adding to the festival’s grandeur.