Ghana - Director of Creative Arts: There is no money to fight piracy

Director of Creative Arts, Programs and Projects at the National Commission on Culture, Socrate Sarfo has cited the lack of funds as the major problem facing the fight against piracy.

Speaking in an interview with Andy Dosty on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM, Socrate Sarfo blamed the situation on the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) system of accessing funds from the government to embark on projects to fight piracy.

During the interview, Mr Sarfo took time to throw more light on what the system entails.

“...monies that are supposed to come to us to fight piracy goes to the government. These funds are not easily accessible. We have to go through the GIFMIS system to retrieve them and this can take up to three months. We can't fight piracy with this kind of structure...,” he said.

Socrate Sarfo, who seemed disturbed about the system threw a challenge to industry people who are affected by the high rate of piracy to unite as a body and fight against the system.

He was however optimistic about the fact that this system can be changed.

He assured that if the GIFMIS system is ruled out, piracy will be a thing of the past.

“...This is about the collective society and the structure is wrong. We all have to come together and fight the system. If it is not addressed we are always going to complain and suffer... he told Andy Dosty.

GIFMIS was launched in September 2009, as part of the Public Financial Management (PFM) Reforms in Ghana.

The Controller and Accountant General's Department (CAGD) under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP) is responsible for the reforms.