Ghanaian playwright and tour guide, Nii Ayi Solomon, has joined calls to preserve the Centre for National Culture (Arts Centre) in Accra.

His admonition is premised on the intention of government to demolish the performance centre at the premises to make way for the construction of the Marine Drive Project.

It had earlier been said that the art market at the centre would also be relocated to Kawudi in Accra due to the construction.

However, speaking to Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM's Showbiz A-Z, Nii Ayi Solomon said the centre is of historical significance and must not be demolished because of the project.

He has therefore called on the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II to help preserve the Centre for National Culture in Accra.

“I wish that the Ga Mantse can stop them from destroying the arts centre. I cannot fathom the fact that Kwame Nkrumah had this vision; every region has their cultural centre. You can’t tell me that you are going to do a project in Kumasi so you are breaking down the Kumasi cultural centre. 

The Arts Centre was built by Nkrumah and it served its purpose. To promote the arts and culture of the jurisdiction. This is what we have in Accra. You are destroying it, and going to build what for the people?” He asked.

He also advised the contractors of the Marine Drive Project to find a way of building their project without touching the arts centre instead of providing an event centre in the Marine Drive Project.

“No, the Cultural Centre has its own uniqueness. The moment you break it down, you have destroyed everything,” he said.

In 2021 when news of the demolition broke, creative artists such as Oswald Okaitei, a playwright and poet, also kicked against the move. 

The Arts Centre is situated on the 241-acres of land at the beachfront which has been marked for the project.

The Marine Drive Tourism Investment Project is a 241-acre redevelopment scheme to build Accra’s waterfront initiated by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

It is a project that would establish an iconic skyline for Accra and transform the capital 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.

The Marine Drive Project is expected to be completed in 2027.

In the meantime, the President, John Dramani Mahama has announced that work on the Marine Drive Project will soon resume after it was stalled for some time.