Minority Members of Parliament have voted at the committee level to reject an additional GHS80 million being sought for the National Cathedral project.
The additional amount allocated to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, was deliberated upon by members of the Trade, Industry, and Tourism Committee of Parliament.
In a report sighted by Tru News Report on 3News, it indicated that the allocation was included in the fiscal year 2023 appropriations bill.
Officials from the Ministry reportedly failed to persuade the committee about the allocation and account for the more than GHS 300 million already spent on the project, according to Ranking Member of the Committee, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah.
He claimed that the Ministry of Finance officials were unable to adequately justify the allocation.
Therefore, the minority members of the committee requested a vote to resolve the issue, and they had more members at the time of the vote than the majority.
As a result, the Minority received a majority vote of 11 to 10. The other Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture allocations, however, were authorized.
“We asked for a vote and I think today God was on the people of Ghana’s side. We voted and we were in the majority.”
However, the Ellembelle Constituency Member of Parliament is worried that the Majority would use their numbers to reverse this decision when it reaches the plenary.
The huge edifice when completed, will house a series of impressive chapels, a baptistery, a 5000-seat two-level auditorium, a grand central hall, music school, art gallery, shop and multi-use spaces.
It will also be home to Africa’s first Bible Museum and Documentation Centre, dedicated to Christianity and nation-building in Ghana.
