The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mark Okraku Mantey, has acknowledged that the construction of five amphitheaters pledged by the NPP government has come to a halt due to a lack of funds.
This revelation was made during the Manifesto Debate on Creative Arts on Joy FM.
According to Mr. Okraku-Mantey, the financing for the construction of these amphitheaters was largely provided by the World Bank.
However, the initial budget allocated for the project has been exhausted, causing delays in its completion.
“The construction has been primarily stalled due to budget constraints, as the project is funded by the World Bank.
We are in the process of securing additional funding to resume work on the amphitheaters,” Mr. Okraku-Mantey explained.
He further disclosed that the government had presented a request to Parliament for additional funds to ensure that the project could be finished on time.
The original budget of $500,000 per facility was insufficient, as market factors contributed to an increase in costs.
“We have requested additional funding, and once that is approved, we anticipate that work will resume within the next two weeks.
The Minister of Tourism and Culture has assured that the amphitheaters will be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2025,” Mr. Okraku-Mantey added.
Although the initial target was to complete the project by December, the Deputy Minister mentioned that due to parliamentary processes, the deadline has been extended to the first quarter of the following year.
