The National Cathedral project has not been suspended contrary to widespread claims.
This was disclosed by the Executive Director of the National Cathedral Secretariat, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah while addressing the media on Wednesday, November 1 2023.
According to him, although construction work on the National Cathedral has stalled temporarily, however, it has not been suspended entirely.
“I want to stress that, there have been issues that the project has been suspended; it hasn’t. The 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,” he said.
The National Cathedral, envisioned as a symbol of unity and pride for Ghanaians and a place of national worship, has been under public scrutiny ever since it was initiated.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has been advocating for financial and corporate scrutiny of the project.
He has further disclosed that work on the project had come to a halt.
This observation was substantiated by media organizations that conducted site visits and confirmed the absence of ongoing work.
On Tuesday, August 30, the Executive Director of the project, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, officially confirmed the suspension of work, despite the continued presence of contractors and their staff at the construction site.
“We have the contractors and their staff on site, but the work has been suspended. We are hoping that within the next couple of weeks, as part of our fundraising and other initiatives we can begin work again… our ability to complete this work keenly depends on Ghanaians supporting it,” he told a delegation that had come to donate towards the project.
He encouraged the Christian community to intensify their support for the project, emphasizing that this was the most reliable means to generate the necessary funds for its completion.
“The money might be big in terms of volume but if indeed we have 21 million Christians and a million can give us GH₵100 a month for a year, we can easily complete this in time.
“I refuse to believe that we can’t get a million Ghanaians out of the 21 million Christians to support this. I still have faith in the Ghanaian and I am confident that we will do this,” he added.
In the meantime, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Reverend Eastwood Anaba, who were members of the Board of Trustees overseeing the National Cathedral project, submitted their resignations.
They cited the government’s failure to appoint an independent accounting firm to audit the public funds contributed to the project as the reason for their resignation.
They expressed regret that the needed audit had not been conducted to restore public confidence and trust in the project.
“Despite our prayers, best hopes and wishes, unfortunately, a needed audit to help restore public confidence and trust in this consequential project has not been enacted to the best of our knowledge. Since January 2023, we awaited news to no avail, regarding the finding of the audit.
“We, therefore, regret that as a matter of conscience and faith, we hereby submit to you our resignation from the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral.”