Mr Nii Armah Ashietey, Greater Accra Regional Minister has expressed worry about the craving for foreign cultures and has called for the reversal of the situation and rather to promote the local ones.
He said there was the need to promote Ghana's culture in the areas of arts, craft, music and dancing.
"It is rather sad to observe that whilst others have improved upon their cultures to make it more competitive and a huge foreign exchange
earner, we have virtually subordinated ours to foreign cultures", he lamented.
Mr Ashietey was addressing the Regional Day's of the 2010 National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC), in Tamale, on Wednesday, which saw the Greater Accra and the Western Regional cultural groups performing to showcase their culture and traditions.
The weeklong festival, which brings together all cultural groups across the country, is being celebrated this year under the theme; "NAFAC-Promoting unity, technology and wealth creation for a better Ghana: the role of the youth in nation building".
The festival, which is biannual, had since attracted chiefs and traditional leaders from the various ethnic groups as well as cultural
groups across the country, to showcase their rich cultural heritage to the delight of the teaming audience.
Mr Ashietey urged the youth and traditional authorities to give greater attention to Ghana's cultural heritage to attract investors and generate employment for the youths.
"I urge our traditional institutions and other allied institutions to inject some form of dynamism into our culture and arts, to reflect modern trends".
The Minister said "our craftsmen and women must pay attention to the finishing and packaging of their products, to enable them to compete on the international markets".
He also expressed concern that the tourism industry had done little to promote our local dishes in our hotels and restaurants, adding that, the introduction of technology to improve the processing of our local food must be considered.
Madam Betty Busumtwi-Sam, Deputy Western Regional Minister said the region was the third largest in the country and comprises five major ethnic groups, who are all of the same linguistic stock.
Madam Busumtwi-Sam said the region had recently discovered a new tourist site at Beyin in the Jomoro District, where one could find the
rehabilitated Fort Apollonia and the Nzulezu eco-site where all daily human activity was undertaken on a lagoon.
The NAFAC 2010 was officially opened in Tamale on 20th November and had since witnessed several cultural performances from the Northern, Brong Ahafo, Central and Upper East Region's.
Other activities include football and traditional games, highlife music competition, an exhibition, a colloquium as well as an education on the services of some government departments and agencies.