Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral project
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The Chairman of Government’s Assurance Committee of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has indicated that it is erroneous to believe that the Board of the National Cathedral has been cleared by the Deloitte.

According to him, the audit done by Deloitte has not be published to show whether the Board has been cleared of the numerous allegations of corruption that has engulfed the project.

Speaking on the KeyPoints on TV3 Saturday, October 05, 2024, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, stated that until the Board publishes the report to the public, the comments being made about the clearance should be taken with a pinch of salt.

“Nobody has seen that 2020 audit, we must state for the record. They must publish the audit if indeed they believe that they have been cleared. If you believe that you have been cleared that no adverse finding has been made against you, please publish the full report,” said Ablakwa.

His comments come on the back of the a statement issued by the Board Chairman of the National Cathedral project, Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah, saying measures are in place to continue the project which has stalled for over two years now.

His announcement followed a meeting between members on the board of the National Cathedral and auditors from Deloitte Friday, September 20, 2024.

Amongst the issues discussed at the meeting was to brief leadership on the statutory audit report, covering the period from the project’s inception to December 31, 2020, which has now been completed by Deloitte Ghana.

Issues of corruption raised by a section of the public regarding the project led to the call for an audit to bring clarity to the questionable expenditures related to the project.

In the Tuesday, September 24, 2024 statement signed by Apostle Opoku Onyinah, it said “the need for an audit was a key demand by the church leadership and Ghanaians in general to establish the credibility of the implementation of the project. With the completion of this first report, preparations are underway for construction to resume.

“We appreciate your support so far, and trust that the completion of the ongoing audit will renew your prayer and financial support for the NCG project.”

The National Cathedral Ghana project is a promise made by President Akufo-Addo to personally construct a cathedral to honour God if He made him win the 2016 elections.

He said the project was going to be funded by the private sector since it is not a State project and was not factored in any of the government’s budget.

Meanwhile, government has since 2018, expended a whooping US$58 million on the project which is still in its foundation stage, with the site now turned into what others have described as a swimming pool.

An estimated $450 million is needed to complete the project and it is not clear if that amount is yet available to complete the construction.

By mid-2022, various church denominations had contributed GH¢2.21 million ($164,000) towards the construction of the national cathedral. Though a large sum, the amount is not sufficient on its own to pay the remaining costs of construction.

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