Madam Janet Edna Nyame, the Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture (NCC), has advised the youth to participate more in cultural activities to enhance their standards of living.
She said engaging in cultural and creative arts would help develop entrepreneurial skills of the youth, which could bring economic growth.
She gave the advice at the Northern Regional Festival of Arts and Culture celebration, held in Tamale.
The festival, held on the theme: “Empowering the Youth through Culture, Tourism and Creative Arts for Employment and Wealth Creation”, was to foster unity and social cohesion among the people of the Northern region.
Madam Nyame stated that the youth were the backbone of the country’s economic development, and that, it was essential for them to be empowered to actively participate in cultural and creative arts.
“The youth are the backbone of the country and their progress depends on active participation in economic and social development programmes.
“The modest step towards restoring dignity in the youth is to empower them on the creative and visual arts as well as cultural heritage potential interests of starting a business on their own,” she added.
Mr Salifu Saeed, the Northern Regional Minister, said culture and creative arts were key in accelerating national development and stressed the need for the youth to use culture and creative arts as means of improving their livelihoods and economic development.
He urged the youth to acquire creative skills to build confidence to aspire and realize their innate potentials for the benefit of the society at large.
The festival saw performances from various cultural troupes in the Region.
GNA