20.2 C
London
Thursday, July 24, 2025

National Cathedral must be salvaged without public funds – Effia MP

Isaac Boamah-Nyarko, Member of Parliament for Effia, has called on the government to explore alternative funding sources for national projects like the National Cathedral, stressing that the state should not be further burdened financially—especially in light of concerns over mismanagement and politicisation.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Tuesday, July 22, the MP emphasized the need to salvage valuable national assets through non-state avenues, particularly when such projects are already mired in public controversy.

“Let us decolour the thing and look at what has gone wrong, correct them, and if there are remedies to secure that edifice for this country through other sources which necessarily don’t have to come from the state, then let us pursue them,” Boamah-Nyarko said.

He acknowledged that errors had been made in the handling of the National Cathedral project but argued that abandoning the structure altogether would amount to a waste of the significant public funds already invested.

Instead, he urged government to seek credible, independent funding sources to either continue or repurpose the project.

The MP further cautioned against allowing national initiatives to devolve into partisan debates, warning that politicisation discourages broad-based support and accountability.

“The moment we politicise it, then nobody wants to commit. We use money to start a project, and because we politicised it, we waste resources,” he lamented.

Boamah-Nyarko’s comments follow recent developments regarding the controversial project. President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Attorney-General to conduct a forensic audit into the National Cathedral and its Secretariat.

The directive, announced by Minister of Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu on Friday, July 18, is aimed at investigating irregularities highlighted in a Deloitte audit report.

In addition, the President has ordered the dissolution of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral and the closure of its Secretariat, describing the audit findings as damning.

President Mahama has also reiterated that no further public funds will be spent on the project—a position that Boamah-Nyarko appears to support. While calling for a reassessment of past mistakes, he insists that the path forward must not come at the expense of the already strained public purse.

Gov’t not converting National Cathedral site into Cultural Convention Centre – Kwakye Ofosu

Latest news
Related news