General News of Monday, 2 August 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
2021-08-02
• The cost of the National Cathedral project has been approximated to cost US$200 million
• Government had earlier pegged the cost of the project to be about US$100 million
• The Finance Minister has appealed to the citizenry to donate GH¢100 a month in a bid to mobilise funds for the project
An estimated cost of US$200 million will be needed for the construction of an ongoing National Cathedral project, a secretary to the Board of Trustee, Victor Kusi Boateng has disclosed.
This comes after government through the finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, made a passionate appeal on citizens to donate GH¢100 a month in a bid to mobilise support the cause.
Kusi Boateng in an interaction with JoyNews on Sunday, August 1, revealed that some extensions have been made and added to the existing plan of the project which has increased the initial budget.
“The US$100 million figure as we heard from the Finance Minister’s own mouth was when we were still working on the Cathedral and we had not advanced from the Bible Museum to the Biblical gardens. We are still working on the figures but we have been informed that it will be more than the amount that it was pegged at.”
“[So] let’s say with US$200 million we should be able to do these things,” Kusi Boateng estimated.
Kusi Boateng, however, urged the citizenry to support the ‘Ketewa Biara Nsua’ programme which will be launched on August 12, 2021 in a bid mobilise funds for the construction of the project.
“It is just right for everyone who is a believer or non-believer to understand that the church has contributed so much and it has come to a point that the Church also needs the citizenry to support us build this National Cathedral. Besides the *979#, we are trusting God that we will get over 1 million people contributing,” he noted.
In 2019, the finance minister earmarked the overall cost of the National Cathedral project at US$100 million.
The building of the Cathedral is in fulfilment of a pledge made by President Akufo-Addo in 2016.