Work on the project, which is estimated to cost $340 million, is already said to have been suspended due to inadequate funds as workers have halted activities on the site.
“We have the contractors and their staff on site, but the work has been suspended. We are hoping that within the next couple of weeks, as part of our fundraising and other initiatives, we can begin work again,” Executive Director of the Cathedral, Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah stated on Tuesday, August 30.
In the wake of this, it has come to light that GH¢142,762,500 was spent on the edifice as of December 2021.
This information is contained in the section of the Auditor-General’s report with regard to the Controller and Accountant-General’s financial statements of government operations ended 31st December 2021.
The document was prepared in pursuance of Section 81 (1) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) and Regulation 217 of Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019 L.I. 2378.
The National Cathedral was captured under the government’s priority programmes and interventions for the said year.
In all, initiatives under that category cost a total of GH¢9,197 million during the 2021 financial year.
Another big-ticket spending in that year was on Covid-19 Activity & Vaccine which cost GH¢1,557,846,913.38.
Another GH¢1,409,997,719.41 was spent on Free SHS Programme-SHS/TVET, according to the report published on the Audit Service’s website.