Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and anti-corruption campaigners are demanding a thorough investigation into the stalled National Cathedral Project. The campaigners believe that the uncompleted project is shrouded in unresolved issues that require attention.
The Executive Director of Ghana Integrity Initiative, Vitus Azeem, has urged Parliament to investigate the project and provide answers.
“The state of the National Cathedral raises a number of questions needing answers. So I think that Parliament has to summon them to the House to answer the necessary questions. Up to now, I think the audit has not been done or not finished so when they finish the audit, based on that more questions can be asked, and answers demanded” he told Joy News.
He also indicated that the project could potentially lead to corruption, thus, investigations should be carried out into the money spent and the status of the project.
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In 2017, President Akufo-Addo began the construction of the National Cathedral, which is expected to cost over 450 million dollars. However, the project has faced criticism from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and other sections of the public citing the prevailing economic hardships in the country.
However, the government claimed that the project was not state-funded and that they only provided seed money and land for its construction. Yet, recent reports reveal that over fifty-eight million dollars have been spent from the state coffers on the project.
The former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, promised in the 2021 budget statement that the edifice would be commissioned on Ghana’s 67th Independence Day celebration, which took place on March 6, 2024.
Despite spending over fifty-eight million dollars and seven years since the project began, the construction has stalled at the foundation level.
On March 6, 2024, the NDC Members of Parliament, led by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, ironically commissioned the uncompleted National Cathedral project, perhaps to highlight the government’s failure to complete the project as promised.
