Six out of fifty-two applications submitted to the Ghana Cultural Fund for assistance in the execution of various projects have been recommended by a Peer Review Committee to board members, which is the final decision making body for consideration and possible approval.

This follows a second call for applications from interested groups and individuals by the Institute for Music and Development, administrators of the fund in June 2007 through announcements and adverts in both the print and electronic media.

Members of the committee who reviewed the applications included Dr. Wilhelmina Donkoh, Senior Lecturer, Department of History and Political Studies, KNUST, Nanabanyin Dadson, editor of the Graphic Showbiz, Dr. Mohammed Ben Abdallah, playwright and Senior Lecturer at the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon, Prof. Ablade Glover, a former Dean of the College of Art, KNUST and director of the Artists Alliance Gallery, Kofi Bucknor, actor and current director of Ghana Television, Ebow Hawkson, an arts administrator and former Deputy Minister of Culture and Godfrey Mensah Amoah, a violinist and former leader of the National Symphony Orchestra.

Committee members vetted each application based on its relevance, sustainability, realistic budget, capacity of applicants to carry out projects, linkage of projects to development and poverty alleviation as well as development and growth of the arts in general.

The applications, which are from several parts of the country relate to music, literature, film, painting, sculptures, bead-making, theatre, dance, festivals, conferences, workshops, research, publishing, tourism and education.

The Ghana Cultural Fund is governed by a framework between the Royal Danish Embassy in Ghana and the Danish Centre for Culture and Development in Denmark. It has a total budget of 5.65 million Ghana Cedis and is scheduled to run from 2007 to 2009.

Objectives of the fund include the strengthening of inter cultural relations, mutual understanding and promotion of democratic values among the people of Ghana through intercultural expressions and interactions. It is also to foster Ghanaian/Danish collaborations through the contemporary arts and the preservation of shared cultural heritage.