Kumasi Cultural Centre Back to Life

THE Centre for National Culture (CNC) in Kumasi, formerly known as the Ghana National Cultural Centre, which underwent a facelift over the years, would soon bounce back to life, with a variety of social and cultural programmes.

By July this year, management would have put in place, a programme of activities, spanning all the days of the week, to re-introduce big time events, including the famous 'Anokyekrom".

The activation of programmes comes with the rehabilitation of the infrastructural facilities.

The Dwabrem and Quarshie Idun auditoriums, as well as the landscaping and beautifying of the place, were rehabilitated at the cost of GH¢4,300,000, by the Ghana@50 Secretariat, while the Apatakesiease, with a seating capacity of 2,000, funded by the state at GH¢700,000, is nearing completion, for the organization of events, including conferences, seminars and workshops.

The Centre was awarded the Gold Award last December, during the 4th Ashanti Business and Financial Services Excellence Awards, in recognition of the Centre's outstanding contribution to the economic and social development of the region.

The Director of the Centre, Mr. S. F. Adjei, appealed to corporate bodies to take advantage of the availability of facilities for the organization of public events.

He said the Centre was opening up to corporate entities, in a bid to make it a-one -stop shop for tourists, and disclosed that in the course of two years, the place would be booming with business.

Mr. Adjei called on private developers to invest in the centre.

According to him, a four-storey four-star hotel is being constructed on the premises, to cater for tourists, who would patronize the services of the centre.

Other businesses, which are yet to spring up at the place, include a bank, forex bureau, Art Gallery Training Centre, craft shop, and a recording studio, to add value to the music industry.

He also disclosed that Lady Julia, wife of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, was planning to establish a Kids Computer library there soon.

He said, as a research institution and resource centre, it was duty-bound to contribute to the human resource development, particularly the youth, and contribute to national development, hence a number of programmes with district assemblies, and interactions with students of the educational institutions.

The Director said that apart from teaching, and educating people cultural values and traditional norms, there was the need to explore the potential of the African, and free them from mental enslavement.