National Cathedral project: Exact amount of seed money not known - Joyce Aryee

A member of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, Rev. Joyce Aryee, has indicated that government has not told the trustees the exact amount of money the government has as seed money for the National Cathedral project.

According to her, they relied on the seed money the government finds from time to time without knowing the exact amount the state said it will give as seed money.

“I’m still looking for it, I think that’s the question we need to go and ask–Since the state said it will give us seed money, what percentage is it giving? …No, we were not told, we were just told seed money, and we have relied on the seed money the government will find from time to time. We have not been told the exact amount the seed money is,” citinewsroom quoted Joyce Aryee as having said.

Responding to the question of how the board of trustees was operating without the knowledge of government’s financial commitment, she noted that in such instances, they assume that they are supposed to raise the total budget and consider “the other one [government’s seed money] as a gift. It will be wonderful when the other person [government] brings his gift, otherwise, I’m building [the project without it]”.

They added that the National Cathedral Board of Trustees were assigned to raise funds while the government will also support them with other stuff.

“The project was never meant to be fully financed by the state and when we were called, that is what we were told. The state will do certain things and we the members of the board were to make sure that we raise the money to build the Cathedral. It was never meant to be fully financed by the state,” Rev. Joyce Aryee clarified.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on March 16 appointed a 13-Member Board of Trustees to spearhead Ghana’s National Cathedral.

At their inauguration at the Jubilee House, the President said the 13-member Board of Trustees will be in charge of the National Cathedral when it is completed. The members are:

1. Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah, former Chairman of the Church of Pentecost – Chairperson

2. Archbishop Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop, Cape Coast – Vice Chairman

3. Most Rev. Bishop Justice Ofei Akrofi, Anglican Archbishop Emeritus – Member

4. Rt. Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey, former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church – Member

5. Most Rev T. K. Awotwi Pratt, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church – Member

6. Rev Prof Cephas Omenyo, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church – Member

7. Pastor Mensa Otabil, General Overseer of International Central Gospel Church – Member

8. Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, Presiding Archbishop and General Overseer of Action Chapel International – Member

9. Rev Dr Joyce Aryee, Executive Director, Salt and Light Ministries – Member

10. Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, Presiding Bishop, Lighthouse Group of Churches – Member

11. Rev Eastwood Anaba, Founder and President of Eastwood Anaba Ministries – Member

12. Rev Victor Kusi-Boateng, Founder of Power Chapel Worldwide – Member/Secretary

13. Rev Dr Frimpong Manso, General Superintendent, Assemblies of God – Member

At the National Cathedral Secretariat, there is an appointed Executive Director known as Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah with two (2) representatives of the United States.

However, in August 2022 Bishop Dag Heward-Mills resigned as a member of the trustee.

NYA/WA