New National Mosque to be built

Accra, March 29, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the construction of a four-million-dollar National Mosque on 1.7 hectares at Kanda in Accra.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made available 264,000 dollars while the Ghanaian Muslim community has raised one billion cedis to complete the first phase of the project within six months. This phase comprises an auditorium, administration and conference centre and a library.

President Kufuor expressed the hoped that the mosque on completion would contribute to the building of peace, harmony and understanding among people of all religious faiths in the country.

He said it should also be a hub of social unity and learning for the faithful.

President Kufuor said he was proud to lay the stone for work to begin as it was going to also serve as a landmark of beauty in the capital, Accra.

Sheikh I.C. Quaye, Greater Accra Regional Minister, said it was a realisation of the dream of replacing the Central Mosque at Makola in Central Business District, which was pulled down.

A member of the project's Technical Implementation Committee, Alhaji Onukpa Ahmed Bashiru Futa, said the geo-political environment of the present times demanded that religion and politics came together to seek the welfare of the people.

It was for this reason that the Mosque with a conference hall would be used as a rallying point for peace and unity through inter-faith dialogue.

He praised the out-going Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Mohammed Reda Abual Hamayel, for his personal efforts in getting financial support for the project from the Saudi Government. 29 March 06