The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, believes the money could have been saved on the National Cathedral if it had just replaced the Accra International Conference Centre.
Amid plans to rebuild the conference centre, which is in the same enclave as the National Cathedral, Mr Ablakwa felt this oversight was yet another example of why the religious project was mismanagement of Ghana’s resources.
A number of government, diplomatic and residential structures were demolished and relocated to make way for the cathedral project.
“It could have been part of this project. It is in this same enclave and would even have saved a lot of money,” he said on The Point of View on Citi TV.
“It could have been sited there [where the conference centre is] so you save money, and you don’t have to go and be demolishing judges’ buildings, demolishing the passport office and demolishing the Malian ambassador’s residence.”
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The Minority in Parliament expects the government to spend more than GH¢100 million on the National Cathedral project.
The Minority in Parliament has already filed three urgent questions to compel the Minister for Finance to provide details on how much the state has spent on the project.
The plan put forth by the government was for the project to be financed by donors, but the recent reports of seed money and consult payments totalling over GH¢50 million have sparked calls for accountability.
The project was envisioned by the government in March 2017 as a physical embodiment of national unity, harmony, and spirituality.
The inter-denominational cathedral is expected to have an auditorium capable of seating 5,000 people, as well as chapels, and a baptistery.
The President has said the controversial project is in fulfilment of a promise he made to God in the run-up to the 2016 election.
