Players in the creative arts sector have been encouraged to take advantage of an online learning platform to help sharpen their artistic and business skills.
The E-learning programme known as ‘SoCreative’ is an initiative of the British Council and other partners, including the University of Arts, London.
Launched in 2021, the platform provides a range of free courses to support the entrepreneurial journey of individuals in the creative space.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the TGMA National Music Summit, Mr Paul Kweku Akrofi, Art Consultant at the British Council, said about 25,000 learners had signed- up for the programme across Sub-Saharan Africa.
‘We believe the talent is already here; we have very talented artists, fashion designers, and photographers, and we want them to build business skills.
‘Think of your music as a product, when you have that product, how do you promote that product, how do you make sure you make a business of that product? The purpose of the training pro
gramme is to help creatives build businesses out of their craft,’ he noted.
The platform, he added, would help creatives understand how to attract funding, manage their finances, and various policies that govern the creative arts industry.
Some of the modules on the platform are ‘Introduction to Creative Businesses, Finance for Creatives, How to Raise Funds for Creative Business, Branding and Marketing Your Business and Understanding the Creative Economy’.
Mr Akrofi said ‘SoCreative’ was creating the desired impact as implementers continued to improve the platform based on feedback from users.
‘We are already seeing the benefits and testimonials and we want more people to get on board. The creative economy is growing with a lot of young people getting involved but we don’t want that to be a nine-day wonder.
‘…If you have a talent, we want to help build that talent around a sustainable framework that will enable you to be a successful entrepreneur,’ he stated.
The Art Consultant said a mobile version of
the training programme was being developed for Apple and Android phones to enable users to access more resources and learn at their own pace.
He urged creatives to ‘know themselves’ and define the direction in which they wished to push their career in the long term.
Source: Ghana News Agency