At its meeting on January 23, 2023, the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana acknowledged public concerns regarding the need for a National Cathedral in light of the nation’s current economic challenges as well as issues relating to accountability and management of the National Cathedral project as part of its oversight responsibility for the project.
It should be recalled that the National Cathedral project was the brainchild of Ghana’s President, H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and will be built in collaboration with the country’s Christian community. The goal of the project is to build a complex that includes a Biblical Gardens of Africa, a Bible Museum, and a Cathedral.
The Complex will serve a variety of interdenominational functions, including acting as a location for state funerals, national Thanksgiving services, presidential inauguration services, and national prayer and worship.
The Board added additional components to the National Cathedral project, such as a Bible Museum that focuses on the Bible in Africa, a Biblical Garden with trees, shrubs, and flowers from the Bible, and an economic engine made up of 10 revenue streams to ensure the project’s financial viability, in order to ensure its increased relevance to the churches and the country. Beyond its national religious activities, the National Cathedral is being built as a destination for religious tourism and pilgrimage, which will bring in a lot of visitors and researchers to Ghana each year to aid the country’s economy.
On the project, only the project’s fundamental construction has been completed. The assistance of the government, as well as kind contributions from individuals, churches, and organizations, have made this possible. Even non-Christians have significantly contributed to the project’s construction.
Unfortunately, insufficient finance has forced a halt to the project’s construction. The main cause of the insufficient funding is a widespread misconception that the National Cathedral’s construction is fully funded by the government, which is incorrect given the nation’s unstable economic climate. Additionally, the National Cathedral project appears to not be built in accordance with the expected high Christian principles of integrity, transparency, and accountability.
In response to these developments, the Board of the National Cathedral of Ghana is in discussions to engage Deloitte, which accepted to be the auditors when the National Cathedral was registered, to commence the normal statutory audit.
Additionally, in December 2022, the project presented to Parliament all pertinent construction-related papers. Therefore, the Board of Trustees is admonishing Parliament if it so chooses, to establish a commission or choose an impartial auditor to examine all matters pertaining to the selection of a contractor, the procurement of materials, the construction of the National Cathedral, and the financial operations of the project thus far.
