If World Bank paid for 5 Amphitheatres in 2023, why is it captured in 2024 Budget? — FOCAP questions Government

Reading the Report of The Joint Committee on Trade, industry & Tourisim and Youth, Sports and Culture on the 2024 Annual Budget Estimates Of The Ministry Of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC), You’ll see the policy/strategic objectives outlined, the challenges of the ministry, etc.

We’ll discuss them later but we’re more intrigued by the budgetary allocation for the 2024 financial Year which is One Hundred and Seventy-Five million, Three Hundred and Eighty- Eight Thousand and Ninety-Nine Ghana CEDI’s (Ghc175,388, 099.00) for its operations.

In the breakdown with regards to allocation to various programs by source of funding, Culture, Creative Arts and Heritage Management is taking a whopping Ghc107,629,495.93.
This amount comes as the collasal of the allocation to various programs by the ministry.

What has made it possible to see it shot up is what the industry needs to find out from the ministry to give further insight into it. We do not want to believe it includes already budgeted for projects, which we were told during 2023 that funds were already available and taken on by the World Bank and other financial institutions.

Looking at the Key Priorities for the 2024 financial year for the Medium term the ministry presented five (5) priorities to execute.

Point 4 says “ To Develop five (5) amphitheaters within Ghana.

This raises red flags and we cannot fathom an already existing world bank funded program confirmed by the Deputy Minister Mark Okraku Mantey during his numerous appearances in the media of which he even gave an estimated amount for each amphitheater between 500,000 to 600,000 dollars and emphatically said funds were already sitting in a government of Ghana (GOG) account.

How come we’re now having it featured in the 2024 budget allocation as part of the KEY PRIORITIES OF MoTAC?

The questions then arises:

1- Which funds was Mark Okraku Mantey talking about in 2023.

2- How much in total will cost the nation to develop these five (5) amphitheatres as stated in the 2024 budget.

3- When Minister Awal in a press conference said government will build three (3) amphitheatres by close of year 2022, which budget allocation/fund was the minister looking at?

4- When Mark Okraku Mantey said by close of July 2023 the Kumasi amphitheatre will be up and running; what budget was he referring to in executing the project.

5- ln a recent meet the press series to talk about play Ghana music Mark Okraku Mantey repeated that the Accra amphitheatre project is under way.

We’re only raising questions for the right authorities to clarify and diffuse all the doubts clouding our thoughts.

(Source: FOCAP)