Former Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mark Okraku-Mantey, has expressed regret that Ghana’s long-promised amphitheatre project was not completed during the Akufo-Addo administration. According to him, the project could have been successfully delivered had he been appointed the substantive minister.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM, Mr Okraku-Mantey identified the amphitheatre as one of the key unfulfilled projects under the previous government.
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It was to finish the amphitheatre because we would have added that to Akufo-Addo’s CV. Yes, it is still his CV because he built it
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He noted that the project had received budgetary approval before the administration left office, and thus should still be counted among former President Akufo-Addo’s achievements.
Even as we exit, he got the budget, the money is there to finish. So it is still Akufo-Addo’s achievement, but I would have loved that it was finished for him to open, launch, commission in his name like Rawlings did to the National Theatre
When questioned on why the project was not completed during his tenure, Mr Okraku-Mantey cited budgetary constraints as the major hurdle.
“I think that it’s budget issues,” he said, adding that his role as a deputy minister limited his influence over such large-scale decisions.
He elaborated on the structural limitations of his position, explaining that the deputy minister’s role is largely to support and align with the agenda of the substantive minister.
The job of a follower is to also manage your leader, which is your boss. What he believes in, you also believe in it. My job is to convince him, persuade him, talk him into seeing the amphitheatre concept. The love for it will not be the same as the one who midwived the concept
Using a metaphor to express his frustration, Okraku-Mantey suggested that if he had had the power to allocate funds directly, the amphitheatre would have taken precedence over other initiatives.
So if it was my baby directly with the one taking decisions for money — this money should go there, that money should go there — maybe the amphitheatre would have come before some of the other projects
He added that the project could have served as a lasting legacy for the outgoing president and a significant development for Ghana’s creative arts sector.
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Things would have been different if I were to be in the seat of the main minister
Despite the project’s delays, Okraku-Mantey expressed hope that it would eventually be realised under the leadership of the current minister, Hon. Dzifa Gomashie, whom he praised for her background in the creative arts.
And again, that’s why I’m happy that Honourable Dzifa Gomashie is the one in charge. When she has a budget, things will be done differently because of her creative arts background
