The Akufo-Addo government, has been found to have gone contrary to its word of not dipping its hands into state coffers for the construction of the controversial National Cathedral, as a letter has emerged, revealing how the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, authorized the release of a whopping GHS25 million for the project.
The money was disbursed on the instruction of the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, to a private company called, RIBADE Limited, whose ownership for now remains a mystery just like the cost of putting up the National Cathedral, which President Akufo-Addo, had announced was not going to come from state coffers, but from the generosity of Ghanaians.
Deeply buried in this revelation, is the daylight flouting of public procurement laws of the country by the Presidency, the Ministry of Finance and the Men of God, put in charge of the project and given an office accommodation at the Jubilee House and paid monthly salaries as the construction of the Cathedral, has not gone through any competitive tender process as required by law.
The money from the state coffers, according to the Finance Minister; one of the biggest fan of the project conceived on a pledge made to God by Nana Akufo-Addo, for him to be made President of Ghana, was dropped into a private bank account at CAL Bank PLC on the 23 Independence Avenue, Accra.
The account has the Brank Code: 140101 and is in the name of RIBADE Limited with the account number provided as 1400005311488 and the Swift Code as ACCCGHAC.
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A letter dated March 31, 2022 and bearing the signature of Mr. Ofori-Atta with heading “Seed Money For The Construction Of The National Cathedral” ordered the Controller and Accountant General saying “please refer to letter No.SCR/DE3/296/02 dated 17th March, 2022 from the Chief of Staff, Office of the President and National Cathedral of Ghana’s memo dated 28th March, 2022 on the above subject”.
“Authority is hereby granted you to release the sum GHC25, 000, 000, 00 (Twenty- Five Million Ghana Cedis) as additional seed money to the National Cathedral Secretariat for the construction of the National Cathedral for part payment of outstanding claims from RIBADE Limited”.
It is unclear for now, who the owners of RIBADE Limited are and how they got the National Cathedral job which had witnessed many fundraising events in Ghana, America, Israel and other places like churches.
At least the Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast, the Most Reverend Charles Gabriel Palmer- Buckle of the Roman Catholic and presiding archbishop and general overseer of the Action Chapel International ministry, Nicholas Duncan-Williams have many times been in and out fundraising events for the project.
Most of these amounts have not been disclosed to Ghanaians.
The Finance Minister letter, had said that “the payment should be effected to the account details detailed below:
Name of Bank: CAL Bank PLC
Bank Branch: 23 Independence Avenue, Accra Ghana
Brank Code: 140101
Account Name: RIBADE Limited
Account Nr: 1400005311488
Swift Code: ACCCGHAC
“MDAs and MMDAS are to note that, the understated clause is required to be inserted in all Contracts/Agreements in order for them to be paid: “Pursuant to Section 96(1) of the Public Financial Management Act. 2016 (Act 921), it is an offence to make an unauthorized commitment resulting in a financial obligation for the Government.
“I (RIBADE LIMITED) understand and acknowledge that any unauthorized letter of guarantee or undertaking issued under this contract is unlawful, null and void, ab initio, and is not legally binding on Government. I understand, acknowledge and agree that any judgment or garnishee order that may be in my favor as a result of a breach of this contract shall only be enforceable against (OGM), shall not be enforceable against any other ministry, department or agency of the Government of Ghana that is not a party to this contract. I understand that “unauthorized letter of guarantee or undertaking” means one that has not been approved by the Ministry of Finance.
“The total expenditure of GHC25,000,000.00, should be charged as per attached Specific Warrant.
President Akufo-Addo, in March 2020, said the proposed National Cathedral, which is being built in the heart of the city of Accra, will be one of the iconic structures on the African continent.
Addressing attendees of a ceremony at the construction site of the Cathedral to lay the foundation stone for the commencement of construction works, President Akufo-Addo, said he is determined to lead the efforts aimed at ensuring the completion of the project in fulfilment of his pledge to God.
“As I indicated on 6th March 2017, upon completion, the National Cathedral is certainly going to be one of the iconic structures on the African Continent”, President Akufo-Addo said.
In his address, the President identified three main reasons behind his decision to mobilise support for the construction of the Cathedral.
Firstly, the President said, “Since gaining our freedom from colonial power sixty-three years ago on the 6th of March 1957, Ghana has so far been spared civil war, famine and epidemics”.
“We are certainly no better than the other nations in our neighbourhood, who have been confronted with these challenges. I believe it is by the grace of God that we have been preserved and sustained. The construction of the Cathedral will be an act of thanksgiving to the Almighty for His blessings, grace, favour and mercies on our nation”, President Akufo-Addo said.
Secondly, President Akufo-Addo said, “seventy-one per cent of the Ghanaian people adhere to the Christian religion grouped under the various persuasions of the Christian Faith. The interdenominational National Cathedral will help unify the Christian community and thereby help promote national unity and social coercion”.
Lastly, President Akufo-Addo noted that he made a pledge to Almighty God that if He was gracious enough to make him President, he will help build a Cathedral to His glory and honour.
“I am determined to redeem this pledge”, President Akufo-Addo stated.
The president, outdoored his vision for the construction of the National Cathedral to be sited close to the State House in Accra.
At the ground-breaking ceremony, the President described the proposed Cathedral as an interdenominational worship project which is also a thanksgiving gesture to God for the blessings bestowed on Ghana on the occasion of her 60th-anniversary.
The architectural and structural design of the National Cathedral was done by British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, the founder and principal of Adjaye Associates.
The National Cathedral, will house chapels and baptistery, a 5000-seater main auditorium, which will be expandable to a 15,000-seater for national events and celebrations.
It will also include, among others, a grand central hall, a music school, and will house Africa’s first-ever Bible Museum and documentation centre.
According to the website of the National Cathedral, the project is a “historic” one that provides a “sacred space and infrastructure for the formal religious activities of the nation, like state funerals and presidential inaugural services”.
It is this national character that distinguishes it from the other Cathedrals in the country.
“We are taking the bold vision of the President for a Sacred National infrastructure, linking it to the path-breaking design of iconic Architect Sir David Adjaye OBE, and organically anchoring these in world-class programmes – including Africa’s first Museum of the Bible whose development is supervised by Cary Summers, the founding President of the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC”.
“We have engaged the very best of Ghana with the very best in the world. The result of the integration of the vision, design, and programming is an iconic infrastructure that provides a sacred space for the nation, attracts pilgrims and tourists, and includes a built-in economic engine for financial sustainability”, the website noted.
The design of the National Cathedral, carves an identity for architecture rooted in African culture, in Ghanaian heritage and is a ground-breaking architectural expression of African Christianity. The concept for the National Cathedral, is born of Christian architectural principles.
These principals frequently articulate proportion and orientation in multiples of twelve as a reference to the twelve apostles.
The National Cathedral’s draped roof form draws from the great symbols of the chieftaincy institution and culture, such as the opulent boaman ceremonial canopies and umbrellas, traditionally used to shade and protect royalty.
The National Cathedral, takes these symbols of royal and religious veneration and democratises them from the individual to the people.
The Cathedral’s colour palette and Adinkra-influenced gardens express a natural harmony and countenance to both Christian orthodoxy and Ghanaian cultural traditions. Three main colours are utilized throughout the scheme.
Red, black and white reference the Holy Trinity while speaking of the Ghanaian nation, Red represents the blood, black the spirit and heart, and white symbolises the power of the Ghanaian people.
Red, has also been adopted for the new state ceremonial route connecting the Cathedral with Independence Square.
