FDA’s alcohol ad ban: Many event companies have been left crippled due to lack of sponsorships – Nana Poku Ashis

Nana Poku Ashis is an artiste manager and entertainment pundit

Artiste manager and entertainment pundit, Nana Poku Ashis, has bemoaned the lack of support and sponsorship by corporate bodies for event companies in Ghana.

According to him, this lack of sponsorships especially from alcoholic beverage companies has left many businesses in Ghana struggling to stay afloat.

“Some time ago, the alcoholic beverage companies used to hold us down, but a ban from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) stopped them from sponsoring events and that is when our troubles started. Now we are crippled, and we don’t know what to do. We can barely survive on our own, and this is the time the government should come to our aid,” he said.

Nana Poku Ashis said in an interview with Graphic Showbiz that event organisers and creative arts practitioners who personally finance their projects often face huge financial challenges.

He revealed that most musicians who organised their own shows in December last year incurred huge losses due to low patronage and high costs.

“Event organisers make losses and so do individual musicians who organise their own shows, and it is simply because of lack of sponsorship. Although they will not admit it, I can say without fear that every musician who organised their own show in December last year made a big loss,” he said.

He said that the only reason he and his artiste organised the Kwabena Kwabena and Becca Vals Day concert this year was to connect with their fans, but they were not making any profit from it.

“You put in so much for an event and you don’t break even. If not for our fans, we wouldn’t have organised the Kwabena Kwabena and Becca Vals Day concert this year. We always want to get closer to the fans, and that is the reason we always keep this event going; but trust me, we are suffering,” he disclosed.

He lamented that organising quality shows required a lot of money, and without the backing of sponsors, it was hard to survive in the industry. He appealed to the government to intervene and support the event and creative arts sectors.

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