Entertainment pundit and broadcaster Kwame Dadzie has criticised the backlash against the Ghana Tourism Authority’s partnership with Samini, attributing the opposition to political bias.
It could be recalled that following a photo shared by Samini on his social media account announcing a partnership with the GTA, netizens on social media expressed outrage, claiming that the dancehall musician is affiliated with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), thus, he should be dropped.
However, Speaking on Hitz FM, Kwame Dadzie emphasised that Samini‘s affiliation with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) should not disqualify him from collaborating with state agencies like the GTA.
According to him, events like Samini Fest have economic benefits, especially employment opportunities across various sectors which contribute to government revenue through taxation and enhance overall productivity.
“If Samini organises Samini Fest at whichever place, calculate the number of people who are going to get employed. Stage, lighting, food vendors, fashion, music. It’s a very long chain of employment. That in turn gets you some revenue into government coffers because there will be taxation. Government is going to reap dividends from that. If we have more of that happening in our system almost every time, we’re going to have higher productivity.
“And so why do you, why do you decide not to let somebody partner GTA? Because the person belongs to the NPP. It doesn’t make sense. If you want to grow this industry, we should stop that thing,” he said.
He asserted that Samini‘s collaboration with the GTA does not prevent other artistes, regardless of their political affiliations, from seeking similar endorsements.
Kwame Dadzie called for an end to what he described as “pettiness of politics,” urging stakeholders to focus on unity and professionalism to advance Ghana’s entertainment sector.
“Samini‘s partnership with the GTA does not prevent Edem from also taking his events there for endorsement. He pays taxes. Samini has the right as a creative to organise events.
“He has a right to enjoy any incentive that comes from the government for creatives, regardless of the fact that he is NPP because he contributes to the economy in one way or the other.
“Let’s stop this pettiness of politics and then make sure we move this industry forward,” he said.
Meanwhile, the GTA is yet to respond to the criticisms surrounding its partnership with Samini.
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