Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader, has defended the National Cathedral project, labelling it as a national asset with potential beyond its religious purpose.
According to Afenyo-Markin, Ghana needs the National Cathedral as a nation, stressing that it is not just a cathedral for prayer but also for tourism.
The minority leader explained that the facility could serve the wider Ghanaian population, not only Christians, by contributing to tourism and providing a national rallying point and should not be viewed simply as a place of worship.
Speaking at an engagement with the Christian Council, Afenyo-Markin stated, “This National Cathedral, we need it as a nation. It shouldn’t be too simplistic that a cathedral is just for prayer. It is also for tourism”.
“So if we have the cathedral, it’s not only for the Christian community; it is for the entire nation. It is tourism potential, it is image and the image of the country, it becomes a rallying point for us as a country”, he added.
He further criticised the Mahama government for what he described as a lack of clarity over the future of the site.
“The government is showing inconsistency. It says one thing today, it says another tomorrow. We don’t know what they want to use the site for. There’s no clarity as to what they want to use the site for,” he said.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has ordered the immediate dissolution of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana Project.
According to reports, the decision was communicated to the Board in a letter signed by the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga.
The letter ordered the Board to coordinate with the project consultant and formally hand over the National Cathedral project site to the Ministry by October 31, 2026.
According to Mahama Ayariga, the handover will enable the government to determine the future of the project.
Mahama Ayariga, on behalf of President Mahama, thanked members of the Board for their commitment to promoting the Christian faith in Ghana.
In related news, the Christian Council of Ghana has told President John Dramani Mahama the State cannot wash its hands off the National Cathedral.
According to the Christian Council, the State must maintain an interest in the completion of the National Cathedral, as significant public funds have already been committed to the project.
Speaking to Citi News, Coordinator for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations at the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev. Jehoiada Godwin Amuzu, stated, “I believe that Christians have the capacity to do the project, but when we say we have capacity doesn’t mean the money will come from point A or from point B, but the Christian leadership have the capacity to pull ideas together, to develop a financial model, whether locally or internationally, to ensure that the cathedral project bounces back”.
“You know that a lot of money has been spent already. So whether the Cathedral project continues or not, it does not negate the fact that State money has already been spent on the project,” he said.
“And so the continuation should be a national issue, because national resources have been spent already,” Rev. Amuzu added.
The Christian Council’s position follows President John Dramani Mahama’s recent comments that the National Cathedral should not be funded with taxpayers’ money.
Mahama argued that taxpayers’ money should not be used to fund the construction of a National Cathedral, disclosing that if Christians across the country contributed GH¢1,000 each towards the project, they could raise sufficient resources to construct the facility.
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