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Enthusiasm for constructing the National Cathedral has waned – Rev. Opuni-Frimpong

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Rev. Opuni-Frimpong voiced worry that the government's involvement in the initiative had eroded Christians' feeling of ownership and passion. He asked the government to let the churches take the lead on the initiative. Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba resigned in a letter to President Barack Obama on October 12, 2023, citing worries that their request for an audit of the National Cathedral project's activities had gone unheeded since January 2023. They stated that the deafening silence on the audit request contradicts their conscience and beliefs.

Reverend Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, a former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, has raised worry over the National Cathedral project’s continuance and diminishing excitement.

Following the resignations of Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba from the Board of Trustees supervising the National Cathedral’s construction, Rev. Opuni-Frimpong stated that the original enthusiasm for the project had waned dramatically.

In an interview with Selorm Adonoo on Eyewitness News, Rev. Opuni-Frimpong revealed that the initial plan was for the church to initiate and build the project. However, it became clear over time that the government was playing a larger role in the project.

“I was in the Office as General Secretary at the very beginning of the National Cathedral. At the time, the former presiding bishop of the Methodist Church, Reverend Samuel Asante Antwi, was the chairman of the Board of the National Cathedral. He explained to us that we, the churches in Ghana, were going to build the Cathedral, not the government. The government was only going to facilitate the process and provide seed money. We were happy about this idea.”

“We thought we were having an opportunity to work together as Christians to achieve something,” Rev. Opuni-Frimpong continued. “However, when Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa started a series of disclosures, it became very clear that it was the government that was building the Cathedral.”

Rev. Opuni-Frimpong voiced worry that the government’s involvement in the initiative had eroded Christians’ feelings of ownership and passion. He asked the government to let the churches take the lead on the initiative.

“My plea is that the government must allow the churches to build the Cathedral. We should not offer to God a Cathedral that cost us nothing.”

Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba resigned in a letter to President Barack Obama on October 12, 2023, citing worries that their request for an audit of the National Cathedral project’s activities had gone unheeded since January 2023.

They stated that the deafening silence on the audit request contradicts their conscience and beliefs.

Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba resigned in a letter to President Barack Obama on October 12, 2023, citing worries that their request for an audit of the National Cathedral project’s activities had gone unheeded since January 2023.

They stated that the deafening silence on the audit request contradicts their conscience and beliefs.

However, in a harsh reaction, the National Cathedral Secretariat stated that the notion that they were given no information about the audit process was untrue.

In a statement, the Executive Director of the National Cathedral Project, Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah narrated that “following this, the engagement letter for Deloitte to officially begin the audit was drafted and signed by Deloitte on March 27, 2023, and set up on their system on May 17, 2023. The expectation was that the first part of the audit was to be completed in July 2023. The audit process, so far, can be confirmed with the auditors, Deloitte.”

“The Board was constantly updated on the process through the Chairman and the Steering Committee, as well as the Executive Director’s reports to the meetings of the Board.”

“Although Archbishop Duncan Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba were not present at both the June 2023 and September 2023 meetings, they and all the other Board members who were not physically present at the meeting were sent copies of all the documents for the Board meeting, including the Executive Director’s report. The claim that they have received no information, whatsoever, on the audit process is therefore false.”

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Premix explosion in Anomabo injures two people

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"Recognising the urgency of the situation, firefighters immediately deployed foam solution to combat the premix fuel induced blaze, effectively containing the fire and preventing its further spread," the statement went on to say. Concerned neighbours brought the injured to the Anomabo hospital for medical care. An investigation is presently underway to determine the cause of the fire.

A fire devastated a premix station in Anomabo in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region, injuring two persons and destroying many structures.

The event occurred at about 8:05 a.m. on Thursday, May 2, 2024.

The quick response of the firemen stopped the fire from spreading to neighbouring regions and causing damage.

The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) stated that two pumps were despatched from the ManKessim and Cape Coast Metropolitan Fire Stations.

“Recognising the urgency of the situation, firefighters immediately deployed foam solution to combat the premix fuel induced blaze, effectively containing the fire and preventing its further spread,” the statement went on to say.

Concerned neighbours brought the injured to the Anomabo hospital for medical care.

An investigation is presently underway to determine the cause of the fire.

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Government to open the Kumasi International Airport on May 10

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With a capacity to accommodate over 800,000 people per year, largely from the northern and central belt areas, the airport is well-positioned to fulfil the growing demand for airline travel. Contractors have announced intentions to enlarge the runway and destroy obsolete infrastructure once the new terminal is operating. During a recent tour of the project, Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah expressed satisfaction with the development, as did Ghana Airport Company Limited management and Board Members. However, he expressed worries about the facility's long-term upkeep and emphasised its significance to the socioeconomic growth of the Ashanti Region and Ghana as a whole.

Expectations are high as the government prepares to open the Kumasi Airport, officially Nana Agyemang Prempeh I International Airport, on May 10, 2024.

President Akufo-Addo will commission the project alongside the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, and the Managing Director of Ghana Airport Company Limited, Yvonne Nana Afiriyie Opare, among other dignitaries.

The Kumasi Airport is expected to begin full operations in June of this year, after its inauguration on May 10.

The facility, presently managed by the Ghana Airport Company Limited, is now undergoing equipment testing that is required for both domestic and international flights.

With a capacity to accommodate over 800,000 people per year, largely from the northern and central belt areas, the airport is well-positioned to fulfil the growing demand for airline travel.

Contractors have announced intentions to enlarge the runway and destroy obsolete infrastructure once the new terminal is operating.

During a recent tour of the project, Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah expressed satisfaction with the development, as did Ghana Airport Company Limited management and Board Members.

However, he expressed worries about the facility’s long-term upkeep and emphasised its significance to the socioeconomic growth of the Ashanti Region and Ghana as a whole.

He said that the airport’s arrival will relieve the burden of foreign travellers from Ashanti, Bono, Ahafo, and the Northern and Upper Regions of the country, as they will no longer need to go to Accra to access an international airport.

During a recent courtesy call to the Manhyia Palace by the Transport Minister and the Board and Management of the Ghana Airport Company Limited, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II congratulated the government on the project’s completion.

He stated that given the Ashanti Region’s active economic activity, a project such as the International Airport will surely create jobs and strengthen the region’s local economy.

Phase II of the project, which began in 2018, comprises the construction of a new terminal building capable of handling one million passengers per year, two boarding bridges, a road network, a perimeter fence, a substation, and a parking lot, among others.





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The traumatic experience of a Ghanaian bisexual

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According to him, these attacks have become more intense this year as a result of Ghana's parliament passing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Ibrahim was attacked just as arguments around the passing of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill heated up, and he was attacked again shortly after the bill was passed in February. The first incident happened on January 22nd, about 5 p.m., near the Sen Cinema Mosque in Alajo North, Accra. Ibrahim was the target of another violent attack four months later, on April 12, 2024, during the 3music Sallafest Concert at Alajo T Junction in Accra.

A Ghanaian man, using the alias Ibrahim for safety concerns, has boldly told his tragic story of being repeatedly assaulted in his community because of his sexual orientation.

Ibrahim, a Muslim, has described being targeted several times by assailants in his community over the years.

According to him, these attacks have become more intense this year as a result of Ghana’s parliament passing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

Ibrahim was attacked just as arguments around the passing of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill heated up, and he was attacked again shortly after the bill was passed in February.

The first incident happened on January 22nd, at about 5 p.m., near the Sen Cinema Mosque in Alajo North, Accra.

Ibrahim was the target of another violent attack four months later, on April 12, 2024, during the 3music Sallafest Concert at Alajo T Junction in Accra.

Ibrahim claims that the assaults were motivated by his sexual orientation, which had previously gone unnoticed in his society.

Ibrahim has resorted to secluding himself within for protection since he lives in constant fear of additional attacks.

He laments the absence of a support network in his village, with just a few understanding people living outside its borders.

However, the dread of repercussions keeps him from finding consolation or company outside of his close environs.

In an exclusive interview, Ibrahim described his terrible sense of loneliness and the psychological toll of the ongoing danger of violence.

He must navigate his everyday existence beneath the shadow of dread, unable to freely interact with the world around him for fear of serious bodily damage.

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