The Executive Director of the National Cathedral Secretariat, Dr Paul Opoku Mensah has revealed that the Akufo-Addo government has spent a total of GH₵339.003.064.86 on the National Cathedral project.
The amount includes a total of GH₵113 million paid to the Consultant, Sir David Adjaye and GH₵225 million paid directly to the Secretariat for the construction of the project.
Speaking after President Akufo-Addo paid a working visit to the construction site on Monday, January 2, 2023, Dr Opoku Mensah also dismissed reports that the secretariat has misappropriated funds allocated for the project by the state.
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“For purposes of clarity, I want to report a verbatim memo I sent on this issue dated 19th January 2022 and addressed to the Clerk of Parliament. The indication was that the government has given us GH₵339 million, and we could account for GH₵225 million leaving GH₵114 million missing.
“Here, I quote what I wrote to the Clerk. As we indicated to the Committee on Thursday, December 15, 2022, the total amount paid by the Government of Ghana to the National Cathedral project is GH¢339 million. This total is made up of the following: the amount paid directly to the National Cathedral Secretariat is GH₵225 million. The amount paid directly to the Consultant, Adjaye Associates & Design Team is GH₵113.040.54.67 million The two payments total GH₵339.003.064.86.”
“So, there are no missing funds that could not be accounted for. Secondly, the detailed account for these funds was provided to Parliament on December 15, 2022, by the Secretariat. In the case of the accounting from the Secretariat, this involves among others, total payments made to the contractor, and total payments made to the Bible Museum and Biblical Gardens Design Team.”
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has once again reiterated his commitment to ensuring the completion of the National Cathedral project despite the numerous criticisms.