National Cathedral project will continue despite MPs’ rejection of budget allocation – Dr Joyce Aryee

A member of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Dr Joyce Rosalind Aryee has said that the National Cathedral project will continue despite Parliament’s rejection of GH¢80 million budgetary allocation to it.

According to her, the said amount rejected by Parliament was only part of the seed money the government promised for the construction of the cathedral “not the entire money that is needed to construct and complete the edifice.”

Speaking on the Midday News on Joy FM, Dr Aryee said “…It does not mean the project can not go on because I know you are going to bring your money and I will bring mine and everybody that we will approach and is willing will bring theirs.”

She said on Thursday that “really, those who are willing are the people making the money available for the construction. I think we should all keep calm and not be disturbed.”

Dr Aryee clarified that there is a provision of seed money is from the Consolidated Vault.

“People have said that there has not been transparency, but every year in the budget there has been some seed money not taken from what I understand from the Contingency Fund, but I heard there’s something called Contingency Vault,” she said.

The former Minister of State acknowledged that Parliament has every right not to accept what a budget brings or otherwise.

Recently the Minority in Parliament accused Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta of releasing GHC25million to the National Cathedral Secretariat as additional seed money for the project without Parliament’s approval.

However, Ken Ofori-Atta has denied taking money from the Consolidated Fund to finance the National Cathedral project.

“I have taken no money from the Contingency Fund to make payments for the National Cathedral,” he clarified.