GH¢80m budget for National Cathedral blocked by Parliament

The stiff opposition by the Minority in Parliament against the allocation of funds towards the construction of the National Cathedral project forced the withdrawal of GH¢80 million earmarked for the project from the budget estimates of the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

The amount was captured as part of the sum of GH¢260.94 million the House was to have approved for the services of the Tourism Ministry for the year ending December 31, 2023.

But following a debate that dragged deep into the night, the Minority was blunt in their stance against the construction of the cathedral which they said was a drain on the national purse.

The Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, threatened that if the GH¢80 million allotted for the cathedral project was not dropped, they (Minority MPs) would vote line by line every motion that would be moved on the floor Thursday.

To avoid such threats from becoming hurdles to the approval of major budget related bills and other matters including the Appropriation Bill, the Finance Minster, Ken Ofori-Atta, conceded.

He subsequently directed the Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, to heed the request by the Minority, leading to the withdrawal of the GH¢80 million from the budget estimate for the Tourism Ministry.

The opposition by the Minority came after the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, had moved a motion for the House to approve the GH¢260.94 for his ministry.