The Deputy Director of the National Commission on Culture, Dr Richardson Commey Fio, has emphasised that the responsibility to preserve and promote Ghanaian culture must be a collective effort, led by passionate individuals and not the government alone.
Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb’s Isaac Dadzie at the launch of the ‘Akwaaba Club’ in Accra on September 27, 2025, Dr Fio stressed the urgent need to engage young people to ensure they imbibe the Ghanaian culture and its values to preserve it.
“I believe that the issue of promoting and preserving the Ghanaian culture cannot be the responsibility of the state or government alone, but very passionate individuals like Joe Osai and what he is doing.
“So, it is very important that we need to pay attention to making sure that the young ones imbibe our culture and its values and ensure that they are able to harness the potential within our culture,” he said.
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He pushed back against the common misconception that reduces Ghanaian culture to only “drumming, dancing, and superstition,” describing this view as a narrow understanding of a much larger concept.
“Those are just a minute part of what culture is about. Culture is everything about us… It is discussing our very essence of living as Ghanians,” he said.
He argued that harnessing the potential within Ghanaian culture is key to making the country more competitive.
“And so it is very important that we are able to keep the Ghanaian identity, look at the potentials within it that will make our country more competitive.
“And it’s required that we do that by engaging the young people because they are the future of this country. And if they lose it, the future is going to lose it, right?” he said.
Dr Commey Fio also expressed strong support for the newly launched Akwaaba Club, an initiative targeting young people in schools.
He stated that such efforts are critical for ensuring the youth become ambassadors of their heritage, safeguarding the nation’s identity for future generations.
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