- Hon. Mark Okraku-Mantey, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, has made progress in his campaign to win back the Ayensuano seat for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
- On Friday, July 15, 2023, the government official went to the party headquarters in the district with other party executives to pick up his candidacy form.
- The savvy businessman declared his intention to “transform the community and empower my people” while speaking to the locals who had gathered to show their support for him.
- He pledged to raise the standard of living for locals and entice enterprises to the area.
- If both successfully file and are recognized by the party, Hon. Okraku-Mantey will compete against former local MP, Hon. Samuel Ayeh-Paye, in the parliamentary primary.
- In the 2020 elections, the New Democratic Congress (NDC) won the seat from the incumbent party when Hon. Teddy Nana Yaw Addi defeated Hon. Samuel Ayeh-Paye.
- All eyes will be on Ayensuano to see if the inclusion of Hon. Okraku-Mantey can assist the ruling party regain the seat.
Okraku- Mantey’s Journey so far
- For more than 20 years, Okraku-Mantey has worked in the creative arts sector as a music producer, artist manager, entertainment executive, and media personality. Among the musicians he has collaborated with from Ghana are Lord Kenya, Kumi Guitar, Oheneba Kissi, Daasebre Gyamenah, Akyeame, and Adane Best.
- A number of Ghana’s most well-known albums and songs, including Sika Baa by Lord Kenya, ABC of Love by Oheneba Kissi, Kokoko by Daasebre Gyamenah, and Brebre Obaa Hemaa by Akyeame, were produced by him.
- As the executive producer of TV3’s well-known Ghanaian comedy series Efiewura, Okraku-Mantey has also entered the movie business. Since its debut in 2006, he has also been a judge on the music reality series TV3 Mentor. He serves on the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards board as well.
- He is the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts is Okraku-Mantey at the moment. President Nana Akufo-Addo proposed him in April 2021, and the Parliament accepted him in June 2021.
- He also serves as the head of the Ghana Creative Arts Council, an organization in charge of guiding the growth and promotion of Ghana’s creative arts sector. Okraku-Mantey has served as a Deputy Minister and the President of the Creative Arts Council.
- Okraku-Mantey has been promoting the preservation and promotion of Ghana’s history, culture, and heritage through the arts as a deputy minister and as the president of the Creative Arts Council.
- Various initiatives and projects, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Year of Return, the Beyond the Return, and the Ananse Animation Project, have also received his support. In order to solve their difficulties and worries, he has also been interacting with many stakeholders and participants in the creative arts sector.
