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Preparations underway to resume construction of National Cathedral – Board
Construction on the National Cathedral project is set to resume, according to a statement issued by the chairman of the board, Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah.
Apostle Onyinah made the announcement following a September 20 meeting between the Board of Directors of the National Cathedral of Ghana and auditors from Deloitte.
The meeting was held to brief church leaders 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.
The National Cathedral’s board had authorized the audit in response to public outcry over alleged corruption and questionable expenditures related to the project.
In a statement dated Tuesday, September 24, Apostle Onyinah confirmed that the audit report is now ready, clearing the way for construction to resume.
“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,” he said.
According to him, “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.”
In the last seven years, Ghana’s taxpayers have expended $58 million on the project which, in August 2024, has not progressed as the government had hoped.
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.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
The family of Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, a distinguished statesman and diplomat, has paid a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama. They officially informed him of his passing.
The delegation, representing the Gbeho family, noted that it was culturally and diplomatically important to formally notify the President of the loss before making a public announcement of his death.
Ambassador Gbeho was a towering figure in Ghanaian and international politics. He served in many diplomatic missions, including New York. He was Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, a Member of Parliament for the Anlo constituency, and President (formerly Executive Secretary) of the ECOWAS Commission.
He was widely respected for his role in regional integration and his contributions to global diplomacy at the United Nations.
President Mahama expressed his condolences and shared reflections on Ambassador Gbeho’s contributions to the country, West Africa and the world.
Funeral details will be announced later.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revoked all firearm permits in Ghana with immediate effect and announced a new registration process for all gun owners.
The minister made the announcement on Tuesday, June 23, at the information service department saying all individuals who currently hold licences to own firearms or sidearms must undergo a fresh registration process.
“From this afternoon, all permits that have been granted to any individual that you are holding a sidearm or firearm is hereby revoked,” Mr Muntaka said.
He explained that the government had identified gaps in the country’s firearm registration system and needed to introduce stricter measures to improve public safety.
“We are opening the window where everyone will have to come forward again to register or re-register the gun because we’ve changed the procedure,” he stated.
According to him, the government decided not to wait until the end of the year to make the changes because lives could still be saved within the next six months.
The Interior Minister said one of the new requirements would be mandatory mental health screening for applicants seeking firearm licences.
“We’ve seen that people with mental health have already gone through and have the sidearm. Now we are introducing mental health. Before we give you the sidearm, we have to be sure that you have the mental stability to hold the firearms,” he said.
Mr Muntaka also announced that applicants would be required to undergo drug tests before being granted licences.
“We’ve also realised that people who are on drugs are also holding their arms and they are legitimate because it’s been registered. Now you have to go through drug tests to be sure that you are not on drugs before you can hold sidearms,” he added.
The minister said the new measures form part of efforts by the government to tighten firearm control and prevent legally registered weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
He urged all firearm owners to cooperate with the new registration process once details of the exercise are announced.
By: Jacob Aggrey
