Bice Osei Kufuor
The office of the Musicians Union of Ghana is to be relocated to pave way for the marine drive project which is due to begin very soon.
The marine drive project is designed to develop the entire beach from the Christianborg Castle in Osu to the Baden Powell Memorial Hall, which means all the buildings in the area will be cleared to make way for the project.
This was made known by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Nana Bright Oduro, during an interaction with the leadership of the union in Accra.
According to Nana Oduro, with the commencement of the project, all offices in the earmarked area are to be relocated for the project.
He indicated that over the next six months, the first batch of affected offices will be relocated while the union will be relocated within the year.
Briefing the leadership of the union, Dr Joel Sonne, Director of Projects at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, stated that the project dates back to the seven-year development of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah in 1964 but had been shelved due to the overthrow of the CPP government. He added that the project has been on the drawing board since the days of the previous government.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), Kwadwo Odame Antwi, said the marine drive project would provide a boost to the tourism industry in the country, and urged the union to support the idea fully.
The President of MUSIGA, Bice Osei Kuffour, said the union welcomes the commencement of the project since it is long overdue. He expressed the hope that when the project is completed, the union would receive adequate space for it to continue to work for the improvement of the lives of musicians in Ghana and the industry as a whole.
As part of the marine drive enclave, an amphitheatre, recording studios and offices will be built for the use of the creative arts in general and the music industry in particular.