Architect of Akufo-Addo’s National Cathedral pockets GHC 160 million

Contrary to the earlier impression created, the amounts approved as payment to Sir David Adjaye, as consultancy fee for being the architect of the contentious National Cathedral is a staggering GHC160 million and not GHC32 million as recently leaked.

Recently, some documents from the Finance Ministry leaked, showing that the Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta had authorized the payment of GHC 32 million to David Adjaye for his consultancy work for the National Cathedral.

But the latest leak of the total allocation to him makes that GHC 32 million appear to be some “chicken change”.

Letters from the Jubilee House and the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) headed by the criminally charged A.B Adjei show that the UK-based renowned Ghanaian architect was sole-sourced for the project and was allocated US$ 23 million (GHC 184 million) and it was discounted by 10% to US$21 million (GHC 160 million).

On December 10, 2018 (barely two years of Akufo-Addo in office), his Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Opare wrote to the crooked A.b Adjei to endorse the payment which formed 12.5 % of the then-projected US$190 million (GHC 1.5 billion) cathedral project.

“The total budget for the amount of USD 23,750,000.00 payable in Ghana Cedi equivalent at the prevailing Bank of Ghana forex rate at the time of payment. The fee accounts for 12.5% of the estimated total construction cost of USD 190,000,000.00,” Ms. Frema-Opare wrote.

“The fee covers preparatory work up to the construction handover. The anticipated construction period is twenty-four (24) months,” she wrote.

About seven days later, A. B Adjei of the PPA who was at that same time using his office to fraudulently hand over state contracts to his private company, approved the single-sourced project to David Adjaye, who is reportedly close friends with the Akufo-Addo family.

Meanwhile, the scandalous project has come to a halt as the main construction company for the project, RIBADE Company Ltd recently officially revealed that the project has come to a standstill and it has been constrained to lay off 200 workers.

In addition, a letter from the company that has leaked into the media announces its decision to opt-out of the contract in a move to mitigate contractual costs.

And shockingly, the reason for the company’s decision is that the Akufo-Addo government has not been making funds available to the project.

Dated March 14, 2022, RIBADE’S termination letter read; “Due to the lack of payment from National Cathedral of Ghana which has resulted in the project being suspended, RIBADE COMPANY LTD is required under the Contract to mitigate costs”.

“…In compliance with such an obligation under the Contract, RIBADE Company LTD has no option but to issue this letter of notice terminating the agreement between RIBADE COMPANY LTD and you as per the provision of your employment agreement,” it said.

The letter added, “This notice of termination takes effect on the 14th of March 2022, you are therefore requested to hand in all properties (i.e. Safety equipment, etc.) belonging to the company in your possession to the HR Office by close of work of the same day.”

The letter is signed by Grant Ramsay, the Project Manager of the National Cathedral.

The cash-strapped constraints that led to the company deciding to leave the contract is in spite of the fact that so far, the Akufo-Addo government has supposedly funneled some Ghc200 million into the project so far in what appears to be that the funds had been diverted into unknown hands.

Source: whatsupnewsghana