Ghana not supporting reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral – Akufo Addo

President Akufo Addo has denied categorically, claims that Ghana has committed one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) to the reconstruction of the French Medieval Catholic Cathedral that got burnt on the 15th of April, 2019.

Addressing members of the Ghanaian community in Canada as part of his three-day state visit to the North American country, President Akufo Addo in answer to a question posed by one of the attendees of the meeting on why he has made the choice of supporting the French said, “I have not done it. Not one dollar of Ghana money has gone to support the rehabilitation of Notre Dame.”

“These are matters that can very easily be ascertained. The Controller and Account General is there in Accra and he will tell you, when you go and ask him, that not one dollar, not one cent, has been paid by Ghana to the reconstruction of Notre Dame,” President Akufo Addo said.

He added that, “There are a lot of rich people in France and they can take care of their own Notre Dame.”

Dealing with Flooding in Accra

President Akufo Addo pointed out that the talk about the challenges with flooding in Accra and other parts of the country must be done with an equal focus on the attitude of Ghanaians.

“We have a situation in our country time and again when Ghanaians say we want this, we want that, but the attitudinal change that will enable us to be able to bring value to these demands is always left out.”

The President added that, “Up till today, as the Odaw river is being dredged, there are still people at home when the rains come, think that the easiest way to deal with dirt in their houses is to throw it out in the gutters. Those things have to come to a stop. We all have to speak to each other in Ghana to bring those things to a stop.”

“If we don’t, no matter the investments we make, at the end of the day we will be back to square one and I am not prepared to spend your money in that way,” President Akufo Addo said.

Corruption and Prosecution

The President in his address noted that the call for the persecution of corrupt officials has already begun in Ghana as there some 21 persons who are standing trial. The Attorney General, he said, “is not idle at all, however, he is a firm believer in due process and he will not under any circumstance compromise on the right of accused persons to be taken through due process and be given a fair opportunity to defend themselves.”

“One of the things that I am not prepared to do under any conditions is to do away with due process. I fought for it all my life in Ghana that we will have a state in Ghana which recognizes and accepts and acknowledges due process as a fundamental instrument of state policy,” President Akufo Addo said.