Mahama Questions National Cathedral Project Amid Education Challenges: “Is It Justified?”

Mahama Questions National Cathedral Project Amid Education Challenges: “Is It Justified?”

  • Former President John Mahama has criticised the lack of priorities embodied in the National Cathedral Project amid challenges in the education sector
  • $58 million of public funds are said to have been spent on the project, which hasn’t seen any significant progress
  • National Democratic Congress MPs held a mock commissioning for the National Cathedral on March 6, 2024

The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, has criticised the $450 million budget of the National Cathedral project while challenges in the education sector remain unaddressed.

Given the circumstances, Mahama said the religious project would not even have God's approval.

Mahama on national cathedral
Mahama says the project is not justified. Source: John Dramani Mahama
Source: Facebook

In his recent remarks on the project, he said the government should only fund the project with private resources since it was a personal pledge by President Akufo-Addo.

Mahama stressed that the public funds spent on the project could have been directed towards pressing education needs.

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For example, Mahama said schools lacked textbooks for the new education curriculum.

"So far, $58 million of public funds have been spent just to dig a deep hole, and you have to ask yourself, is it justified in this day and age when children don't have desks in schools, when children do not have textbooks?", he added

Mahama made these remarks during a gathering with religious leaders in Wa as part of his campaign.

Earlier this week, NDC MPs held a mock commissioning for the National Cathedral on March 6, 2024

The site for the project has been dubbed the world’s most expensive hole because of the $58.1 million spent on it under controversial circumstances.

The government had initially intended to commission the project on March 6, 2024, according to the 2021 budget statement.

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Despite being barred from entering the construction site, the minority MPs agreed with security personnel to stand at the entrance, where they addressed the press.

Committee to probe project

YEN.com.gh reported that Parliament okayed the forming of a committee to probe the controversial National Cathedral Construction Project

The probe followed a motion filed by the North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and six other NDC MPs.

The Second Deputy Speaker expressed concern that too much money had been spent on the project with little results.

Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Delali Adogla-Bessa avatar

Delali Adogla-Bessa (Current Affairs Editor) Delali Adogla-Bessa is a Current Affairs Editor with YEN.com.gh. Delali previously worked as a freelance journalist in Ghana and has over seven years of experience in media, primarily with Citi FM, Equal Times, Ubuntu Times. Delali also volunteers with the Ghana Institute of Language Literacy and Bible Translation, where he documents efforts to preserve local languages. He graduated from the University of Ghana in 2014 with a BA in Information Studies. Email: delali.adogla-bessa@yen.com.gh.