It will bring shame on Akufo Addo and Ghana if we fail to build the National Cathedral – Okyehene

Paramount Chief of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area, Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin II has stated that Ghana and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will be disgraced if the National Cathedral is NOT built.

The Okyenhene who is also a relative to the president has thus rallied Ghanaians to contribute to the successful completion of the project.

Addressing the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral Project in Kyebi last Friday (December 9), Ofori Panin stated the benefits of having the project will be immense.

“He [Akufo-Addo] has to glorify the name of the Lord for how far He has brought him and build the cathedral to testify that he is grateful to God for making him President, there is no sweeter news than this.”

He continued: “with the cathedral, there’ll be no need to travel to Israel, just in Accra, the cathedral will answer all your questions about Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and everything.

“So I’m pleading with you all, let us not bring shame upon our country and the President, let us contribute to building the cathedral,” he added.

The cathedral was a personal promise made to God by then-presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo if he won the 2016 election.

After winning and becoming President, he told Ghanaians the cathedral will be funded by the private sector and, therefore, called on religious bodies, organisations and individuals to contribute towards its construction.

In a U-turn, however, it was discovered in the 2022 budget that government has spent about GHS400 million of tax payers’ money on the cathedral without parliamentary approval.

In the 2023 budget, some GHS80 million has been allocated to fund the project despite the current economic crisis.