National Cathedral: Ofori-Atta Raises Total Budget For Construction From $200 Million to $350 Million
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has announced a new financial estimate for the national cathedral project. The minister said on Sunday that the project will cost the government $350 million, up from $200 million according to the project’s trustees last year. The minister had previously stated in 2019 that the project’s entire cost would be $100 million.
“I think it’s meant to be about $350 million and that’s the expectation… we will be pushing for private sector mobilisation, that is Ghanaian citizens understanding the support that they must give to establish that [National Cathedral], and the government is always in the background to ensure that the process moves on,” Ofori-Atta said.
This is the second time the total cost of constructing the contentious structure has been revised. When speaking to Joy News in August 2021, Secretary of the Board of Trustees in charge of the National Cathedral Victor Kusi Boateng anticipated a budget of $200 million.
Mr. Ofori-Atta had previously stated that the project will cost the country $100 million in November 2019. Mr Boateng revealed at the time that a plan to integrate a Bible Museum in the Biblical gardens was what drove up the price by 100 percent.
When asked how much the project is expected to cost the state, the finance minister did not mention the $200 million when speaking to state-owned GTV on Sunday, June 12, 2022.
