Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, on Tuesday addressed the controversial National Cathedral project issue during his ‘Bold Solution’ tour of the Greater Accra Region.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, then the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), made the promise to God to build a cathederal in His honour if he was elected the president.
However, a public debate over its funding, among other matters regarding the Board of Trustees of the Cathedral, has stalled the project, which was supposed to have been completed and commissioned on March 6, 2024.
Responding to questions about the completion of the edifice during a meeting with the clergy in Accra, Dr Bawumia suggested a new approach that would ensure its completion.
The Vice President urged the Church to take the lead in finding a way forward, including exploring private-sector funding options.
“The question on the National Cathedral is a very important one. The National Cathedral, I have contributed to it personally and I believe it is a very important thing for Ghana, but I think as it stands now, the church must come together with the government and let us sit down and talk about the way forward.’’
Vice President Bawumia has been meeting stakeholders across the country to solicit their input into the NPP 2024 Election Manifesto.
He had reiterated plans to implement a flat tax rate in 2025 after granting tax amnesty to every individual in the country.
Dr Bawumia believed that the country’s gold reserves could be used to stabilise the Cedi.
His government would resource the Geological Survey Authority and technical universities to undertake exploration of the seven gold belts in the country to ensure that the gold concessions produce positive outcomes.
He repeated his plans to establish a Minerals Development Bank to support small-scale miners to fund their businesses, noting that the sector could generate three billion dollars annually.
On improving fiscal discipline, the NPP Flagbearer gave the assurance that his administration would make sure the Fiscal Responsibility Council operated independently with oversight on the Ministry of Finance.
He promised to downsize his government’s expenditure by three percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which amounted to about GHc30 billion every year.
GNA
BM/ABD
4 June 2024
