Former Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mark Okraku-Mantey, has stated that the promise to construct an amphitheatre for Ghana’s creative arts industry could have been fulfilled under Akufo-Addo’s tenure if he had been given the opportunity to serve as the substantive minister.
When asked what he wished the former government had accomplished but couldn’t, the former deputy minister said it was completing the amphitheatre project.
He noted that had it been completed, it would have been a huge legacy for former president Akufo-Addo.
“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,” he stated in an interview on Joy FM.
According to him, the project had secured the necessary budgetary allocation by the time the administration exited office, making it an accomplishment that should still be credited to Akufo-Addo.
“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,” he added.
When asked why the project was not completed during his tenure, Okraku-Mantey pointed to funding constraints as the primary obstacle, stating, “I think that it’s budget issues.”
He also reflected on the structural limitations of his role as deputy minister, explaining that while he had passion for the amphitheatre initiative, the final decision-making power did not lie with him.
“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,” he said.
Mark Okraku-Mantey used a metaphor to express the limited authority he had as deputy minister, suggesting that if he had been the substantive minister, the amphitheatre project would have been prioritised.
He explained that while he championed the idea, the final decisions on funding and project execution rested with the main minister, whose priorities may have differed.
“So if it was my baby direct 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 stated.
Mark Okraku-Mantey expressed confidence that the outcome of the amphitheatre project might have been different had he served as the substantive Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts.
He suggested that with full ministerial authority, he would have had the power to push the project forward and ensure its completion.
“Things would have been different if I were to be in the seat of the main minister,” he said.
Okraku-Mantey also expressed optimism about the future of the ministry under the leadership of Dzifa Gomashie, whom he described as someone deeply rooted 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 art background,” he added.
AK/EB
