The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mark Okraku Mantey, says art dealers from the Accra Art Centre have been offered a better place to conduct their business activities to pave the way for construction works to commence on the Marine Drive Project.
Speaking on Citi TV’s Breakfast Daily, Mr. Okraku Mantey, explained that the new site for the art dealers will house 700 stores at Kawukudi in Accra. He added that the site is 90% complete and planned to separate art manufacturers from sellers in a bid to ease congestion.
“The whole Art Centre space falls under the Marine Drive Project, so it is prudent to relocate the art dealers to a befitting place,” he said.
According to the Deputy Minister, contrary to claims that the relocation exercise will affect the theatre venue of the art centre and deprive performers of their source of livelihood, Mr. Okraku Mantey said, the planned Marine Drive Project will also include a 2500-seater auditorium for creative performances.
The new Marine Drive Tourism Investment Project is a 241-acre redevelopment scheme of Accra’s waterfront initiated by Ghana’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
The plan, by Adjaye Associates, would establish an iconic skyline for Accra and transform the city’s centre into a world-class tourism enclave.
The Marine Drive will also provide essential infrastructure to support the country’s developing cultural and creative industries.
By Lord Kweku Sekyi
