Works on the National Cathedral project have continued unabated albeit the temporary hold up on the construction some months ago, the project’s Secretariat has clarified.
It says plans are far advanced to put the work in shape to become one of the best historical sites on the globe, thereby requiring the need for artifacts to give it the face it deserves.
At a press conference by the Secretariat Wednesday, November 1, 2023, Executive Director Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah said the project just underwent a temporary hold up.
“There have been issues that the project has been suspended, but it hasn’t. Construction has stalled, but the National Cathedral is almost an institution; it’s going to be one of the largest institutions, so the work continues on a daily basis. In addition to funding, we are already engaging with those who can provide us with artifacts. Because if you want to turn it into a world-class site, you need historical artifacts,” he stated.
Dr. Opoku Mensah also denied allegations of criminality and corruption shrouding the project.
He says there is no evidence to that effect. Despite heavy criticism from a section of the public regarding the transparency in the disbursement of funds for the project, the Secretariat has refuted the claims saying every pesewa spent on the project has been laid before Parliament.
He was emphatic about the level of integrity that has been exhibited on the project so far.
“The idea that a project of this nature would not want to be accountable, I cannot understand it, I cannot fathom it. This audit notwithstanding, I want to state categorically that there’s no criminality. We have implemented the project with integrity, including accounting for all the funds from the state to the National Cathedral Project.”
“We have repeated this, and we will repeat it again; there’s no criminality in the National Cathedral Project. We have accounted for every penny that we have been given by the state and donors. This accounting is submitted to Parliament; sometimes it’s being misused, but we have submitted everything to Parliament,” Dr. Opoku-Mensah reiterated.
The Founder and General Overseer of United Denominations of Action Chapel Churches Worldwide, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, and President of the Eastwood Anaba Ministries, Rev. Eastwood Anaba, resigned from the Board of Trustees overseeing the construction of the National Cathedral in Ghana on October 12, 2023.
The founder and leader of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, also resigned from the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral project in August 2022.
The National Cathedral, a project initiated to serve as a national place of worship and a symbol of unity and pride for Ghanaians, has been a subject of debate and controversy since its inception.
For many, it was a personal promise made by then candidate Akufo-Addo to God which shouldn’t have had state funds injected into the construction.
So far, over GHC300 million has been spent on the project but still remains in the foundation stage, making people tag it as ‘the most expensive pit in the world’.
