Where film fits in Ghana’s Creative Arts Industry Act

Film and audiovisual work have separate entries

Section 32 lists film and screen, audiovisual work, and new media and creative services as three domains. Sound recordings have their own entry, too. The law lists the domains to define the Agency’s industry-wide remit. The list gives no count of active companies or workers in any of them. Source 1

The register covers industry operators

Section 3 gives the Agency a duty to publish a register of operators. A separate paragraph calls for cooperation to help creative workers learn about intellectual property and register their works. An operator register and registration of a particular work serve different purposes. Source 1

Film classification has its own statutory home

Act 935 establishes the National Film Authority and sets out the film industry’s regulatory framework. The Authority publishes a classification procedure for audiovisual works intended for public exhibition. Act 1048 gives the Creative Arts Agency a general duty to cooperate with other public institutions. Source 2 Source 3 Source 1

Film businesses sit inside a wider labour market

The Agency’s duties include developing a labour market, fostering emerging talent and supporting training in areas such as marketing and fundraising. Sections 3 and 32 help identify which activities cross industry lines. Agency reports or service notices would supply evidence about which programmes are operating and how many people use them. Source 1

Sources

• Parliament of Ghana, Creative Arts Industry Act, 2020 (Act 1048)
• Ghana Business Regulatory Reforms, Development and Classification of Film Act, 2016 (Act 935)
• National Film Authority, film classification procedure