The board of trustees of the National Cathedral Secretariat is poised to roll out the “Ketewa Biara Nsua” initiative to raise half of the US$200 million needed to build the edifice.
This will also include other fundraising drives from other initiatives such as special offerings from churches.
The fundraising drive, which was announced by the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori Atta, during the presentation of the 2021 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament last week, will be launched on 12 August.
The secretariat hopes to raise the remaining US$100 million from the private and corporate sectors.
Speaking with Nana Yaa Mensah on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (2 August), Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, the executive director of the National Cathedral project, said: “A week will be dedicated to the National Cathedral … there will be offering throughout the country, throughout the churches for the National Cathedral.”
He said the secretariat is also targeting other benevolent organisations to raise funds for the National Cathedral project.
“We are also targeting some foundations but we’ve already begun to talk to some of the key ones. We are exploring all these to ensure that the vision of the president that this really does not become a liability to the state really is accomplished.”
Seized rosewood to go to the cathedral
Meanwhile, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has said that all confiscated rosewood will be donated to the National Cathedral project.
Speaking to journalists at Tema Port on Friday after inspecting five container loads of seized rosewood, Jinapor said the wood will be sent first to the Forestry Commission depot in Achimota and later forwarded to the construction site of the National Cathedral.
Presenting the Mid-Year Budget Review on Thursday (29 July), Ken Ofori-Atta said the National Cathedral will be inaugurated on 6 March 2024 and asked individuals to commit to making regular donations of GHC100 towards completing the project.
Sustainable management
Samuel Abu Jinapor restated the government’s position set out in the directive ordering the ban on harvesting and exporting rosewood.
He said any individuals or companies found harvesting rosewood, a criminal action, have been reported to the police for further action.
“Our duty is to put in the necessary steps to stop the illegal exportation of rosewood [from] the country,” Jinapor said.
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