President Nana Addo Dankwa-Akufo has urged the Christian community in Ghana, Africa, and abroad to join the fundraising effort for the construction of the national cathedral.
According to him, if the Christian community accepts the challenge, the cathedral would be completed very quickly and its value would be obvious to all.
Addressing the symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar at the Christ the King Church in Accra, he listed seven benefits that will be derived upon the completion of the national cathedral project.
He stated that the cathedral will fill a missing link in the nation's spiritual architecture by providing a formal space for religious activities of the state.
He mentioned the seven benefits of the cathedral that
- Provide an inter-denominational space for worship
- Will place God at the centre of nation-building efforts
- Provide an official venue of worship for state occasions in a predominantly Christian nation
- Serve as a fulcrum for propagating the Christian faith
- Unify the Christian Community
- Serve as a tribute to religious liberty
- More importantly, it will serve as our collective thanksgiving to the Almighty for the blessings he has bestowed on our nation, sparing us the ravages of civil war that have bedeviled the histories of virtually all our neighbours and the outbreaks of mass epidemics.
The government through the Ministry of Finance authorized the release of ¢25million for the construction of the National Cathedral in Accra.
A letter dated March 31, 2022, written to the Controller and Accountant General Department (CAGD) by the Minister of Finance Ken Ofori Atta said: "Authority is hereby granted to release the sum of 25million Ghana Cedis as additional seed money to the National Cathedral Secretariat for the construction of the National Cathedral for part payment of the outstanding claim from RIBADE."
The cathedral has raised concerns among some Ghanaians especially the Minority in Parliament.
For instance, the North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa questioned the government for releasing the amount of GH¢25 million for the project in the midst of economic challenges.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo accompanied by senior members of the Clergy, laid the foundation stone for the Cathedral on March 5, 2020, to signal the start of construction.
A National Cathedral Secretariat has been set up to raise funds from individuals and the private sector for its construction, while work continues apace.
The cathedral will house a series of impressive chapels, a baptistery, a 5000-seat two-level auditorium, a grand central hall, music school, choir rehearsal, art gallery, shop, and multi-use spaces.
It will also be home to Africa's first Bible Museum and Documentation Centre, dedicated to Christianity and nation-building in Ghana.
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