Gambian artists from across the creative sectors have validated the draft Regulation on the National Endowment Fund For Arts enacted by the NCAC with support from UNESCO Aschberg project. The NCAC had in middle of 2022 sought from and obtained from UNESCO Aschberg project support to draft the Regulations.
Hassoum Ceesay, Director General, NCAC said at the opening of the one day validation workshop that the National Endowment Fund was provided for in the NCAC Act, 2003 and has not been implemented yet. ‘now we want to have the Fund to support our artists get funding for their activities. It shows the high level of commitment the Government has in supporting artists’.
He stressed that the Fund should be seen as a critical aspect of artistic development in The Gambia. The NCAC DG thanked UNESCO Aschberg project for the strong support to the NCAC and Gambian arts. Mr. Dmitiri Sanga, Director of UNESCO West Africa and Sahel Office in Dakar commended The NCAC for their proactive stand on the issue of having a working endowment fund.
He commended the participatory process that was taken towards the draft Regulation and described culture as the driver and vector of development it is affected by funding challenges. Thus it behooves nations to seek measures to alleviate funding challenges