The National Cathedral Secretariat says it has increased the amount to be raised for the construction of the project to $350 million from $250 million.
The Secretariat in September had revealed that the extra $100 million is expected to be held in an endowment fund to ensure the availability of consistent finances to cater for activities related to the cathedral.
He added that the managers of the project want to put in place measures that will ensure that they do not rely on foreign grants to manage the facility.
In an interview with Citi News at a symposium on the project, Chief Executive Officer of the Secretariat, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah disclosed that donations towards the construction continue to increase with a recent donation of about GH¢200,000 from the SDA Church. He said they are hoping to raise the additional money before the edifice is completed.
“[We thought that] Instead of looking up to others to give us grant to run the programme, beyond the cost [of the structure], can we add about a $100 million just to ensure that we have resources in perpetuity,” he said.
“Normally for the endowment, you invest it, and you only use the interest so if we raise $100 million, every year, based on the interest, we will have some money… That is the target we have set for ourselves… We want to insist that, it is possible to do things differently. $250 million is for the building and the $100 million is for the endowment fund that will allow us to run this in a very progressive way,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah says the architect who designed the cathedral, Sir David Adjaye, is not in support of LGBTQ+ activities as being speculated.
This follows concerns of his alleged support of LGBTQ+ activities after signing a petition demanding respect of rights of LGBTQ+ persons in Ghana in March this year.
But the CEO of the Secretariat says the architect is only against the assault of members of the community following the closure of an LGBTQ office in Accra.
Source: Jonas NyaborandHanson Agyemang
