Okraku Mantey advised me to quit singing for pageantry - Afua Asantewaa reveals

Ghanaian entrepreneur and Guinness World Record hopeful, Afua Asantewaa has opened up about how Mark Okraku-Mantey, former Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, nearly derailed her singing aspirations.

In an interview on Accra FM, shared on Instagram on March 14, 2025, Afua revealed that after auditioning for the Mentor reality show years ago, Okraku-Mantey suggested she abandon her singing dreams and instead pursue a career in beauty pageantry. 

Afua confessed that Okraku-Mantey's words left her deeply hurt. She said, “ Do you know I went for Mentor. Yes, I sang one of Becca’s songs and Okraku Mantry told me to rather audition for a beauty pageant.

“ Yes, I did that auditions and came second at Miss Tourism. When O was doing my singathon, surprisingly, he was the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture and in his days as a judge on Mentor, I was second at Miss Tourism.

“So when he came into my booth to greet me, I reminded him of what he told me years ago to audition for a beauty pageant. I told him, ‘do you remember you asked me to audition for a pageant. Today, I’m singing and you have come to greet me. That’s the world for you,” she said. 

Afua Asantewaa also took the opportunity to set the record straight on recent speculation surrounding her Guinness World Record attempt. Specifically, she addressed rumours that she had received a house and apartment from the previous government as a reward for her achievement.

"Recently, I went online and saw that I've been dashed a V8. People are bitter with me because they feel I've used state funds. But that's not the case. Some are even claiming I was given an apartment, which are all lies because I am staying in my own house," she clarified.

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