The Akufo-Addo administration has spent a total of GH339.003.064.86 on the National Cathedral project, according to Dr. Paul Opoku Mensah, Executive Director of the National Cathedral Secretariat.
The sum consists of GH 225 million given directly to the Secretariat for the project's construction and a total of GH 113 million paid to Sir David Adjaye, the consultant.
On Monday, January 2, 2023, Dr. Opoku Mensah denied claims that the secretariat had stolen state monies allotted for the project after President Akufo-Addo paid a working visit to the construction site.
"For the sake of clarity, I want to report a verbatim memo I sent on this topic to the Clerk of Parliament on January 19, 2022. The suggestion was that we had received GH339 million from the government, of which we could account for GH225 million, leaving GH114 million unaccounted for.
''I'll paraphrase what I wrote to the Clerk here. The total sum paid by the Government of Ghana to the National Cathedral project is GH339 million, as we stated before the Committee on Thursday, December 15, 2022. The following items make up this sum: GH225,000,000 has been paid straight to the National Cathedral Secretariat. GH113.040.54.67 million has been paid directly to the consultant, Adjaye Associates, and the design team. The sum of the two payments is GH 339.003.064.86.
"There are therefore no unaccounted-for lost money. Second, on December 15, 2022, the Secretariat gave the Parliament a thorough accounting of these funds. This includes, among other things, total payments made to the contractor and total payments made to the Bible Museum and Biblical Gardens Design Team in the case of the accounting from the Secretariat.
Despite the various objections, President Akufo-Addo has reaffirmed his commitment to seeing that the National Cathedral project is completed.
Akufo-Addo asserted that the completion of the National Cathedral and the fulfillment of his vow to God are both possible with the help of the Christian community.
The President visited the construction site of the abandoned project and left a donation of GHC 100,000 before speaking.
As I've previously stated, the National Cathedral will serve as a focal place for the entire Christian community to gather and pray, rather than just another monument decorating Accra's skyline. So, I'm determined to cooperate with the Board of Trustees to see that this project is finished to God's glory.
Several Ghanaians continue to question the wisdom of the government funding an edifice that is believed to be President Akufo-personal Addo's vow to God, which has raised many problems around the National Cathedral project.
But President Akufo-Addo has remained steadfast in his determination to erect Ghana's National Cathedral.
Despite the current economic crisis, GH 80 million was budgeted for the project in 2023.
The acceptance of the GH$80 million budget projections for the National Cathedral's completion in 2023, however, was rejected by Parliament.