Ken Ofori-Atta
MINISTER OF Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has appealed to Ghanaians to support the National Cathedral project to help make it a success.
Mr. Ofori-Atta said as a Christian-dominated country, it was in the interest of Ghana to have a monument that glorified God as well as doubled as a source of tourist attraction and investment to the economy.
He observed that while Ghana had achieved tremendous success in the political and economic fronts, with tangible monuments to show, it lacked a symbol of spirituality, hence the need for the National Cathedral.
In an interview on Ghana Television (GTV) on Sunday, the minister dismissed concerns that there would be no value for money, stating that his outfit would be prudent in spending on the project.
Besides, he said the state was not funding the project entirely, but would support the Christian community and benevolent institutions and individuals to raise funds for the project.
He, therefore, urged the public to donate towards the project to help enhance the spirituality of the country.
He said the attempts to politicise the project was inappropriate, as it was the government’s effort to enhance the spirituality of the country while making Ghana the only country in Africa with a cathedral, and could attract tourists all over the world.
Concerns
Mr. Ofori-Atta was speaking in an interview on GTV alongside the Chief Executive Officer of the National Cathedral Project, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah.
They used the opportunity to clear some misconceptions about the project, including the cost to the state and the amount spent on it so far.
The Finance Minister said the government was mindful of taxpayers’ money being used to support the building of the National Cathedral and as such, was strategising to ensure that monies pumped into the construction were recouped within the shortest possible time after completion.
Prudent Investment
Mr. Ofori-Atta assured the nation that expenditure into the National Cathedral would pay off in the future, as the project was designed to double as an investment.
Beyond serving the spiritual needs of the country, Mr. Ofori-Atta said Sunday that the project was well crafted to double as a tourist attraction to Christians in Ghana, Africa and the world at large.
He mentioned the planned Bible Museum and the inclusion of trees and artifacts of biblical background to the cathedral as avenues to attract tourists.
Through the tourists, the minister said substantial foreign exchange would flow into the economy to support the country’s revenue needs as well as pay-off for the cost of construction.
Consequently, he said the country should rally around the Board of Trustees, comprising eminent men of God and the government, to make the project a success.
Funding Concerns
Mr. Ofori-Atta said the current economic challenges should not deter the state from fulfilling its responsibility of building a monument that had huge investment potential.
“At any point in time when these buildings were built in Europe, was it ever the right time? How do we fund it will become the question,” he said.
“Is the Executive mindful of the current situation? We shouldn’t snuff out our religiousness or spirituality because we are poor. The Lord will understand if we put our widow’s mite in there,” he said.
Cost
Mr. Ofori-Atta said concerns about the cost of the project to the taxpayer were genuine but should be constructive and conscious of the facts to help enrich the discourse.
He was of the belief the raging debate on the financial prudence and relevance of the National Cathedral was misguided.
“That question being asked is that are we spending money from state coffers? Is that too much to do because we are politicising it? Do we really want to stop it? That is going to be my question.”
He further assured the public that his outfit would ensure that spending on the project was prudent and transparent to help make it beneficial to the economy.