President Akufo-Addo is happy with the progress of work on the construction of the National Cathedral.
So far, he says the contractors have done a yeoman’s job with the building and was optimistic about their ability to finish on time.
This was when he spoke at the Bible Reading Marathon Thanksgiving Service at the construction site of the National Cathedral at Ridge in Accra this morning.
He, therefore, expressed gratitude to the group of eminent clergymen and women who have taken it upon themselves the responsibility of shepherding the project to completion.
“Today, 2nd January 2023, I am here at the site to join you to climax the Bible reading marathon and to partake in the celebration of the laying of the foundation for the National Cathedral. We are getting close” Akufo-Addo added.
On his part, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of National Cathederal Ghana (NCG), Apostle Opoku Onyinah said, “Ultimately, our goal was to focus attention on the essence of the National Cathedral Project and its Bible Museum on the other hand and promote Christian unity amongst the various denominations in our country.”
He said, “the celebration of the laying of the foundation is also a timely reminder that the building of the National Cathedral is not completed”, saying “we therefore pray that through the Bible reading and worship, we will come to the understanding of the essence of the National Cathedral and continue to support it fully.”
Executive Director of the NCG, Dr. Paul Opoku Mensah indicated that the site establishment has been completed and five cranes have been purchased and delivered to the site, three of which have been installed to date.
The NCG boss added that the secretariat has judiciously accounted for all funds it has received from the state or through donations and same has been submitted to Parliament.
He therefore called on the Church in Ghana to stand with the NCG to raise an 1 million Ghanaians who will donate GHc100.00 a month to ensure that the project is completed before the end of 2024.
“We look for to you all joining us in this final countdown of fund raising towards the completion of this historic and game changing infrastructure”, he said.
The process for the construction of the National Cathedral began with an announcement by the President during Ghana’s 60th independence anniversary celebration on 6th March 2017.
The following year in March 2018, he unveiled the compelling design by British-Ghanaian Architect, Sir David Adjaye for the Cathedral.
On the eve of Ghana’s 63rd anniversary on 5 March 2020, President Akufo-Addo was at the ground breaking ceremony signaling the commencement of the construction of the National Cathedral.
To demonstrate his commitment to the project and to encourage all Ghanaians, the President donated GHc100.000 a month toward the project, donated GHc 100,000.00 to the NCG.
The Project
The National Cathedral project which is currently under construction in Accra, once completed and fully operational, is projected to raise in excess of about USD$ 95,000,000.00 million dollars in revenue within the first 5 years of operation.
Conceived by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as a physical embodiment of unity, harmony and spirituality, the Ghana National Cathedral will be the nation’s ceremonial landmark, Ghana’s ‘mother church’, where all denominations are welcomed to gather, worship and celebrate in spiritual accord.
The project, now referred to as the complex comprising three projects; The National Cathedral of Ghana, The Biblical Gardens of Africa, and The Bible Museum of Africa, will have 10 revenue streams, out of which the projected revenue is to be raised.
The revenue streams are; admissions into the Cathedral, the Museum, and the Biblical Gardens. The others are; memberships, restaurant, coffee café, event catering, gift shop, meeting space rental, special events, on-line merchandise and on-line education.
According to projections made by the Secretariat of the Board of Trustees, the National Cathedral is expected to receive about 400,000 visitors annually from Africa, other parts of the world and from within Ghana.
It is estimated that 30% of the visitors (120,000) will be foreigners and 70% (280,000) will be people living and working in Ghana.
Out of the 70%, they indicate that 40% (160,000) will be adults, 20% (80,000), will be children between the ages of 10 -17, and 10% (40,000) will be what they have termed groups.
They further project that adults (from outside Ghana) at an entrance fee of $15.00 multiplied by the estimated 120,000 visitors annually, will generate some USD $1,800,000.00.
On the domestic front, the secretariat projects that the 40% (160,000) adults in Ghana at a fee of USD $ 8.00, will see the National Cathedral generating about USD $1,280,000.00.
The 20% (80,000), children between the ages of 10 -17, at a fee of USD $6, will generate USD $ 480,000.00 annually and the 10% (40,000), referred to as groups, at a fee of USD $10.00, will bring to the Cathedral some USD $ 400,000.00.
Special Museum exhibits are also projected to bring in about USD$ 2,400,000.00, bringing the annual projected revenue target through attendance alone to USD$6,360,000.00.
Managers of the facility estimate that out of 400,000 Museum attendance, 100,000 other paid admissions and 10,000 non-attendance buyers, they will be able to raise USD$1,080,000.00 from the gift shop and food revenue.
Revenue via the restaurant and coffee café is also estimated at USD$ 1,770,000.00 as well as a projected revenue of USD$1,601,600.00 for all other catering service, bringing the total annual revenue from the gift shop and all other food services to USD$ 4,451,600.00 annually.
Museum membership
Museum memberships globally, are very popular and have been used to create a customer loyalty program as well as a good source of regular income for several museums across the globe.
Officials of the National Cathedral plan to use the pre-opening time of three years, to raise USD$12,000,000.00, by offering a limited number of “Founding Memberships”; “Presidential Founding Memberships”; and “Chairman Founding Membership Circle”.
Overall, the National Cathedral estimates that within one year of operation, it will generate about UD$ 23,618,606.00 and by the 5th year, its revenue will hit USD 95,555,419.00.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent