Head Coordinator of the Black Star Experience, Rex Omar, has admitted that the initiative could have achieved more, acknowledging that Ghanaians had high expectations because of the way the programme was initially presented.
Rex Omar said while he does not believe the Black Star Experience has performed badly, he understands why some Ghanaians feel the initiative has fallen short of what they expected.
According to him, the public’s expectation for more is justified, and the criticism directed at the initiative could ultimately help draw greater support from Corporate Ghana and other stakeholders whose involvement is needed to make the programme successful.
“I believe that people had very high expectations when it comes to the Black Star Experience due to the way we campaigned. But we haven’t been doing bad, only that maybe people would have expected us to do more than we have done. And they are right,” he said.
He stressed that the Black Star Experience is bigger than the work of the coordination team and requires collective participation to realise its full potential.
“And one thing I want to tell Ghanaians is, you see our flag. The red represents the blood that our ancestors fought for. The yellow represents our mineral resources. The green represents our vegetation. Who is the black in the middle? The star. It is I and you. You’re bashing yourself. The Black Star experience is Ghanaians. We are the Black Stars so if we want the Black Star experience to succeed, everybody must play a role. My work is just to coordinate”.
Rex Omar also sought to remind Ghanaians that the concept behind the Black Star Experience is intended to bring together different aspects of the country’s identity and economic potential under one broad platform.
He explained that tourism, the creative economy and culture, among other sectors, are expected to come together under the Black Star Experience, making it an overarching national brand rather than a standalone programme.
He urged Ghanaians to see themselves as participants in the initiative rather than spectators waiting for the coordinators to deliver everything.
Rex Omar maintained that the initiative can still grow into the broad national platform it was envisioned to become.
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