by Linda Straker
- Imperative to establish Creative Industry Registry and Business Networking Platforms
- Government to foster environment that bolsters economic value of creative industries
- Government to institute concessions and other economic incentives for creative industries
Creative Economy Minister Hon. Lennox Andrews said that if properly nurtured, Grenada’s cultural and creative industries can become substantial contributors to economic growth and job creation and a foundational pillar for social and cultural development.
“This must begin with thoughtful, coordinated efforts to raise more heightened awareness of our nation’s abundant creative industries and their obvious benefits to Grenadians of all ages. We also believe it is imperative to implement and support training programmes, seminars, and other activities — including establishing and managing a Creative Industry Registry and Business Networking Platforms — that help creative entrepreneurs improve their capacity,” he said while addressing the opening ceremony of a cultural and creative industries conference.
“Toward this end, our government is determined to foster a more favourable environment that bolsters the economic value of creative industries, in part by identifying and developing natural linkages between them and other sectors,” said Andrews, also the Minister for Economic Development and Planning.
He told participants that Government will also seek to institute concessions and other economic incentives for those in the creative industries while implementing a policy framework for the sector’s development that coincides with the 2035 National Sustainability Goals and Objectives.
Andrews explained that financing the creative and cultural projects will not just be the Government’s investment, for there will be a reliance on grant funding from organisations and institutions. “In any business, money is a constant concern, and that is certainly true for our creative industries, which is why we aim to generate more funding opportunities and provide helpful directions toward existing sources of funding that may not yet be common knowledge,” he said.
Exporting creative services and goods is among the steps to bolster the creative industries so that the economic impact will have more fiscal contribution. “And, as I alluded to earlier, we have even grander designs to promote Grenada’s creative communities beyond our borders by supporting the export of creative goods and raising the international profile of our talented groups and individuals within the sector,” he said.
“As a Government, we recognise and appreciate the vast and varied talents we possess in this regard, and so we are committed to investing in our people, and in particular our young people, so that over time, we as a country can become more resilient and have a developed economy that is recognised both regionally and internationally,” Andrews added.
Organised by the recently established Office of Creative Affairs, the conference with local, regional, and international speakers focused on topics ranging from legal to social impacts concluded on Friday with a concert featuring some of the country’s top entertainers.
