Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture, Mr Mark Okraku-Mantey, has said the Kumasi theatre promised by the government will reach its full completion by the end of 2022.

“Government’s job for the creative industry is to create an enabling environment, give you the logistics that, as individuals, we cannot buy, like a theatre”.

“That is why the creative arts school in Kumasi right now has a theatre that is going to house close to 2,000 people”.

“We asked for it when I was with you four years ago and the president has taken steps that we must start. By next year, pictures of Kumasi’s theatre will be out. By end of next year, the theatre will be complete,” he told Doctar Cann.

Two years ago, during his third State of the Nation Address on February 21, 2019, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced that work on the construction of the performance theatre was underway in Kumasi.

“The Eastern Region Theatre has been completed, and work is currently ongoing towards the construction of the Kumasi theatre,” he said at the time.

Last year, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, on behalf of the government, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China Bengbu International Technology & Economic Cooperation Ltd for the construction of a the theatre/conference centre.

In 2016, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) promised to build a large theatre for each region should they win power.

In its manifesto, the NPP said: “Pursue the construction of modern large seating theatres in every regional capital except Accra, beginning with Takoradi, Tamale, and Kumasi, as well as setting up an additional copyright office in Tamale to cater for the northern sector in addition to the existing ones in Accra and Kumasi.”.

In 2019, Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia reiterated the New Patriotic Party campaign promise to build large event theatres in all regions of the country.

He disclosed this information when he appeared on Happy FM’s ‘Showbiz Xtra’ show hosted by Doctar Cann