Kwame Dadzie Defends Samini’s Partnership with Ghana Tourism Authority Amid Political Backlash
Ghanaian entertainment pundit and broadcaster, Kwame Dadzie, has waded into the ongoing controversy surrounding the Ghana Tourism Authority’s (GTA) recent partnership with award-winning dancehall artiste, Samini. Dadzie has strongly criticised the backlash, attributing it to political bias and urging Ghanaians to focus on development rather than partisanship.
The controversy began after Samini shared a photo on social media announcing a partnership with the GTA. The post was met with outrage from some social media users who claimed the musician’s affiliation with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) made him unfit for collaboration with a state agency.
However, speaking on Hitz FM, Kwame Dadzie dismissed the criticisms as unfair and politically motivated. He argued that Samini’s political stance should not be used to disqualify him from contributing to national development, especially through initiatives that benefit the economy.
“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,” he explained. “That in turn gets you some revenue into government coffers because there will be taxation. Government is going to reap dividends from that.”
Dadzie stressed that events like Samini Fest have significant economic benefits, including job creation and increased productivity. He maintained that rejecting Samini’s involvement with GTA due to his political views is detrimental to the creative industry.
“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.
The broadcaster further noted that Samini’s partnership with the GTA does not prevent other artistes, regardless of their political affiliations, from accessing similar opportunities.
“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, Dadzie stated. “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.”
Calling for unity and professionalism, Kwame Dadzie urged stakeholders and the public to put aside political sentiments and focus on advancing Ghana’s entertainment and tourism sectors.
“Let’s stop this pettiness of politics and then make sure we move this industry forward,” he concluded.
As of now, the Ghana Tourism Authority is yet to issue an official response to the public criticism over its collaboration with Samini.