Kumasi-Ghana, April 27, GNA – Mr Mark Okraku Mantey, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, has cut the sod for the commencement of construction works on an amphitheater in Kumasi.
The one thousand capacity state-of-the-art amphitheater, expected to be completed in July this year, is being constructed at the premises of the Centre for National Culture (CNC) in Kumasi.
An amphitheater is an open circular or oval structure with a central space surrounded by tiers of seats for spectators for the presentation of dramatic and music events.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Okraku Mantey said similar facilities were being established concurrently in Accra, Tamale, Takoradi, and Tema.
He said those theatres would enable industry players to showcase their movies and music at affordable venues to audiences.
The Deputy Minister noted that tourism could never be completed without arts and culture.
It was, therefore, important to position all players in the sector to maximise profit.
The Ministry was poised to position creative arts on a competitive edge, he said, and implored stakeholders to lead the crusade for project implementation.
In the last few years, the Government had passed the Creative Arts Law, establishing a Creative Arts School and would soon inaugurate a fund for the sector.
Mr Emmanuel Ansu, the Director, Center for National Culture (CNC), Kumasi, said the Ashanti Region had been a major pillar in the sphere of culture and theatre arts in Ghana.
A cursory look at the creative arts sector showed that the region had consistently produced more of the industry players.
Mr Ansu said the need for a modern state of the art theatre house for the Kumasi City was further justified by the recent data on tourists’ traffic flow to Ghana, which ranked the CNC as the10 most visited tourist destinations.
Mr Samuel Pyne, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, said it was important Ghanaians took the creative industry seriously to gain the maximum benefits and pledged support for the establishment of the facility.
He said when the total economic fortunes of Kumasi was developed properly, it would help the Assembly to generate funds to undertake other developmental projects.
