The National Cathedral project would cost the taxpayer $1 billion overall, according to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the member of parliament for North Tongu, and not $400 million as the government and board of trustees have claimed.
On Tuesday, Mr. Ablakwa said the $400 million being bandied around by the government as the total cost of the project completely ignores several other factors that shoot the total cost past $1 billion.
“We were told by the Finance Minister that the project will cost $100 million, then the figure rose to $150 million. The Chairman, Opoku Onyinah later mentioned $200 million but now based on fresh documents, I have realized the project is going to cost the Ghanaian taxpayer about $1 billion.”
“The same amount former president Mahama used to set up the Ghana Gas project which is earning us about $400 million a year,” Mr. Ablakwa told Umaru Sanda Amadu.
According to Mr. Ablakwa, the sum of all these costs, including planned adjustments like the Biblical garden and the museum, will increase the overall cost from $400 million to more than $1 billion.
A portion of the public believes that the National Cathedral project is irrelevant given Ghana’s economic difficulties, and the project has been the subject of numerous disputes and strong resistance.
Additionally, he said that financial issues had caused the project to stagnate for the previous ten months.
The North Tongu MP noted that the estimated $400 million does not include the cost of relocation of the Judges’ bungalows, the $50 million needed for the relocation of the Judicial Training Institute, and the $10 million to relocate the passport office.
He added that Waterstone Complex which had its offices demolished to make way for the cathedral is also in court suing the government for $120 million and also millions of dollars needed to relocate the Comsys office and the residence of the Malian Ambassador.
