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The government of Ghana is supporting the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) with $4.5 million as it gets the opportunity to host the event for 3 consecutive years.
According to the Minister, AFRIMA will give Ghana the opportunity to boost its tourism and creative arts.
This explanation has not gone down well with many Ghanaians who believe that the government could have used the money for other developmental projects.
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However, the government thinks otherwise.
1. Arrivals
The event was organised in Accra from November 21-24. The other African artistes and stakeholders who were present started arriving on Wednesday (November 21, 2018). They had the opportunity to use Ghana’s new Terminal 3 at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) which has been receiving some praises from Ghanaians and foreign nationals who visit the country.
2. Hosting the guests - Hospitality industry
They were hosted at the Kempinski Hotel and Movenpick Ambassador Hotel both in Accra. It is said that Ghanaian hospitality is always great. At the five-star hotels where all non-Ghanaian participants were hosted was state of the art bedrooms, lounges and every other thing they will need to make their stay enjoyable so they can always come back.
3. Music Summit - Networking (Stakeholders)
On Thursday (November 22, 2018) the Africa Music Business Summit was held at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast, Accra.
Present at the summit were the partners and stakeholders in the music industry in Africa and the rest of the world. Others who came include African Union officials, Ministers of Industry & Trade, Culture, Arts and Tourism from across Africa, record companies & other stakeholders.
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This allowed for networking with other stakeholders for better partnerships. This can lead to some beautiful music and art collaborations between some of Africa’s great people in the industry.
The upcoming ones can also get enough mentorship to help grow their career.
4. Selling Ghana music to Africa
There was also the AFRIMA Music Village where many people went to the Independence Square to enjoy the songs of some African artistes.
Some of the artistes who performed include Sarkodie, Stonebuoy, P-square among others.
This was to show others what Ghana and other African countries have when it comes to music.
5. Tour
On Friday the people present went on a city tour of Accra. This was to show the people from other African countries what Ghana has and the beauty of the city.
A tour guide who took some of the people round said most people enjoyed the city tour and promised to come back to Ghana for a visit.
Other people said they would recommend Ghana as a tourism destination country to other people.
6. AFRIMA 2018 (Organisation)
AFRIMA’s organisation saw collaborations from Ghanaians and people all over Africa coming together for the greater good.
Having knowledge of how things work in other countries is key to tailoring one’s tourism plans.
Ghana’s Tourism Minister seems to be aware of this, creating an avenue for collaborative planning for the first year before Ghana takes full charge in the second and third year of the current contract.
7. Main Event - Promo to sell Ghana
Ghana made it a point to tell the world their story by orchestrating the event in what seemed best in a tourist’s eyes.
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With the main awards night getting coverage across various TV networks in Africa, this was Ghana’s time to shine and so it was.
Short promo videos played during the event’s broadcast gave a fair idea about how rich tourism in Ghana is.
Award presenters from the country also found avenues to tell how Ghana is helping the world in diverse ways.
For an average tourist, these were stories well told.
8. Fashion
Every Ghanaian who was present at the event did their best to sell Ghana through what they wore.
Some non-Ghanaians at the event also wore made in Ghana products all contributing to the economy in diverse ways. Other stakeholders obviously would find some of the ‘Made in Ghana’ products attractive and invest in some good Ghanaian fashion pieces.
By supporting AFRIMA with the said amount of money the government of Ghana is promoting tourism through music and art. The government hopes that other African nationals who attended the event this year and who will attend in the subsequent years when it will be hosted in Ghana will visit tourist sites, spend more money here and help boost the economy.