I wish to commend President Nana Addo Dankwa AkuffoAddo for appreciating God’s factor in the affairs of the Nation. A significant demonstration of this is his resolve to facilitate the building of a National Cathedral for praising and glorifying God inter alia. I humbly wish to recall the President’s attention to the fact that, before his ascension to the presidency, God had determined what He wants Ghana to lead the world to do for Him, in this regard, since 2007. It is the JOSEPH PROJECT.

The Joseph Project was launched at Elmina on 1st August 2007. The late Hon. Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, Minister of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City and Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Asante Antwi (the current Chairman of the National Cathedral Implementation Committee) among others, launched it on behalf of President J.A. Kuffour and the Ghana Government. Prior to the launching, H.E. President Kuffour had announced to the world in Brazil that Ghana was going to launch the Joseph Project as the country’s initiative for the world.

He also tasked Juanita Bynum, a Black American prophetess from Georgia, U.S.A to work for the success of the project upon her return to the U.S.A. This occurred when she, accompanied by Archbishop Duncan Williams (another member of the National Cathedral Implementation Committee) called on him at the Osu Castle.

Although the launching was scheduled to be done by the president himself, he failed to turn up, apparently because of the guile of Minister Obetsebi Lamptey. The president and many of his ministers, as well as other party officials, rather went to inaugurate the clubhouse donated to the party by Hon. Hackman Owusu Agyeman.

While the Joseph Project is a God-given assignment, it risks collapsing because of the motives of some of the handlers. To start with, it was sourced from my (William Kweku Asare’s) book, Slavery Reparations in PERSPECTIVE, without any acknowledgement. The Ministry of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City launched it for me on July 22, 2004. My appeal to the Ministry for acknowledgement and compensation to pave way for the unfettered implementation met with denial and rejection. 

The Minister claimed he had never set eyes on the book. My petitions to President Kuffour and Parliament for redress, up to the end of 2008, did not receive any response. Fortunately, the Petitions Committee of the Council of State, chaired by Most. Rev. Dr. Samuel Asante Antwi (the current Chairman of the National Cathedral Implementation Committee) gave me hearing on October 8, 2008 and concluded that the project was pirated from my book. 

I was made to submit my reliefs to the Council to advise Government to compensate me and proceed to implement the Project.

Since then, it has not been done and the Project remains in limbo.

My petition to H.E. President Akuffo Addo, Chief of Staff, as well as the present Council of 
State to resuscitate the Project have not yielded any results, except that the Council of State made me submit twenty-six(26) copies of my book to it for study.

The inspiration for the book was the U.N. World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa; August 31st to September 8th, 2001, which featured reparations for slavery on its agenda. At that time, calls by victims of slavery in the Diaspora were at the peak. Political leaders in Africa and some Civil Society Organizations were also playing victims, and seeking to benefit from any compensation that foreign perpetrators might pay. The book discussed the pros and cons of the demands and concluded that African sellers and foreign buyers were both perpetrators. We had all sinned against God and the true victims,( in our case, our kith and kin) regarding our roles in the Trade.

We should admit our guilt, be remorseful, repent, apologise and plead for forgiveness of God and the descendants of the victims. Having been forgiven, we would then be reconciled with God and the victims. The case must be treated like that of Biblical Joseph and his brothers, who sold him into slavery, but were reconciled in Genesis 45( see P.107 of Slavery Reparations in Perspective)

Having been reconciled, perpetrators and victims can then start benefiting from the blessings of God and the cooperation flowing from the new relationship between us and our kith and kin in the Diaspora.

A memorial must be instituted to signify the reconciliation and the resolve to never again engage in same or similar acts such as human trafficking and all forms of modern day slavery. Possible names of the Memorial are the Joseph Monument, The Reconciliation Monument or The Never Again Monument. 

Some indicators that The Joseph Project is divinely inspired and offers the opportunity to bring the sin of the Slave Trade and Slavery to an end are

i) Circumstances surrounding the publication and launching of the source book; Slavery Reparations in Perspective.

ii) Circumstances surrounding the launching of the Joseph Project.

iii) Former President Kuffour’s announcement in Brazil that the project is Ghana’s initiative for the World.

iiii) The involvement of Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Asante Antwi in the launching of the Project.

v) The witnessing of Archbishop Duncan Williams to the assignment President Kuffour gave to Prophetess Juanita Bynum to the work for the success of the Project in the U.S.A

vi) Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Asante Antwi, presiding over the Petitions Committee of the Council of State, that established the act of piracy of the Project. God had positioned him to play a role that is within his ability for the successful implementation.

vii) A few years ago, the World President of Full Gospel Business Men Fellowship International arrived in Accra from Canada to attend that year’s International meeting. He announced that, while praying in Canada before leaving for Accra, he kept hearing the name Joseph repeatedly. He was convinced it was a significant mystery he wished he could understand.

viii) The intermittent reminders of the magnitude of the sin of the Slave Trade and modern-day slavery; the latest dignitary to add his voice to this were Prince Charles. During his recent visit to Ghana, he remarked that “The Slave Trade left an indelible stain on the history of the World” The “stain” or sin, can be changed from indelible to delible by implementing the Joseph Project truthfully. Mr. President, the Joseph Project is premised upon 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land,” as well as 1 John 1:9.”

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Without first fulfilling these biblical injunctions through the Joseph Project, proceeding to build the National Cathedral could make us fit into the proclamation of the Lord in Isaiah 29:13,14. I appeal to Mr. President, members of the National Cathedral Implementation Committee, Women Aglow and all God-fearing Ghanaians to pray for God to help us do what He wants us to do for Him, rather than what we want to do for Him. Our revered journalists must also help. I humbly wish to suggest that Most Rev Dr. Samuel Asante Antwi and I, be made to appear before the other members of the National Cathedral Implementation Committee, to provide insight into the issues involved to enable it advise the President regarding the best course of action.

Thank you Mr. President, thank you all, and God bless our homeland Ghana.