Former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Reverend Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has voiced his concerns about the ongoing National Cathedral project and the diminishing enthusiasm surrounding it.
In light of the recent resignations of Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba from the Board of Trustees responsible for overseeing the cathedral’s construction, Rev. Opuni-Frimpong noted that the initial zeal for the project has significantly waned.
During an interview with Selorm Adonoo on Eyewitness News, Rev. Opuni-Frimpong emphasized that the project’s initial vision was for it to be led and built by the church. However, as time has passed, it has become increasingly evident that the government has assumed a more prominent 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 raised concerns that the project’s government involvement has eroded the sense of ownership and enthusiasm among Ghanaian Christians. He appealed to the government to consider allowing the churches to reclaim a leading role in the project.
“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,” he said.
Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba tendered their resignations in a letter to the president, dated October 12, 2023, citing unaddressed concerns regarding their request for an audit of the National Cathedral project’s activities, which had been raised since January 2023.
They expressed disappointment that their repeated calls for an audit had been met with silence, contrary to their principles and beliefs.
In response, the National Cathedral Secretariat refuted the claim that they had received no communication regarding the audit process, labeling it as inaccurate.
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.”