Stories and facts

The National Commission on Culture (NCC) is Ghana’s principal agency tasked with overseeing the cultural life of the nation.

Established under the PNDC Law 238 of 1990, it operates under the umbrella of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.

The NCC was set up to manage, from a holistic perspective, Ghana’s cultural heritage both tangible and intangible and to ensure the implementation of the country’s cultural policy.

Its core responsibilities include initiating policies and programmes that promote national pride and solidarity, promoting a distinct Ghanaian identity in African and world affairs, supervising programmes for the preservation and presentation of culture, encouraging education systems that draw on Ghanaian tradition and values, and fostering national self-reliance through culture.

The Commission coordinates a countrywide network of regional and district Centres for National Culture, museums, theatres, arts ensembles and cultural institutions, effectively linking local cultural activities with national development agendas.

In recent years, the NCC has been refocusing its efforts to align culture with economic growth and the creative industries, emphasising cultural education, youth engagement, heritage tourism and global cultural visibility.

It has worked to modernise its institutional architecture and to strengthen governance by inaugurating a new governing board in 2025.

At the same time, it faces challenges such as resource constraints for regional and district centres, coordination across multiple agencies, and fully realising the commercial potential of cultural assets.

However, Ghana’s rich cultural diversity and rising creative economy offer clear pathways for culture to play a major role in job creation, export revenue, and national identity.

For the public, cultural organisations and artists, the NCC issues calls for participation in festivals, training programmes, cultural research, and community engagements, offering a platform for collaboration and cultural innovation.

Explore the diverse festivals celebrated under the auspices of the National Commission on Culture below.