About eight months after the Fantasy Dome was dismantled to make way for construction at the Trade Fair site, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Mark Okraku-Mantey, has voiced his dissatisfaction with the destruction of the facility during the process.
Okraku-Mantey expressed disappointment, stating that the Fantasy Dome, a prefabricated structure, could have been dismantled without causing damage. “I don’t think leadership instructed them to destroy it. The structure was a prefab, so it could have been dismantled carefully. What happened was unfair and cannot be defended,” he remarked during an interview on Daybreak Hitz with Andy Dosty.
When asked about any punitive actions taken against the workers responsible for the damage, Okraku-Mantey clarified that the Trade Fair does not fall under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture. However, he revealed that before the demolition, he had contacted the dome’s owner, Leslie Quaynor, to offer an alternative location at the National Museum. Unfortunately, the dome was too large for the proposed space.
The Demolition of the Fantasy Dome
On March 16, 2024, the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited demolished the 20,000-seat Fantasy Dome. According to the CEO of the Trade Fair, Dr. Agnes Adu, this action followed multiple notices to vacate the premises issued to the CEO of Fantasy Entertainment, Leslie Quaynor, as part of a redevelopment project at the Trade Fair site.
Dr. Adu explained that all previous tenants, including Fantasy Dome, were given sufficient notice to relocate. Despite this, Fantasy Dome was the last tenant holding out. “After 15 months of consistently issuing notices to the owners, we had no choice but to dismantle the structure to continue with the redevelopment work,” Dr. Adu said.
Mr. Quaynor, in an interview with JoyNews, explained that his lease had expired, and he was in the process of relocating the dome. He had requested an extension, which was denied by the Trade Fair management. To prevent the demolition, he sought a court injunction, but despite this, the dome was dismantled.
Quaynor described the incident as a significant setback, not only for his business but for the entertainment industry as a whole, which relies on event venues like the Fantasy Dome to thrive.
