The Christian Council of Ghana has established a technical committee to determine the way forward for the stalled National Cathedral project.
The committee will comprise representatives from councils representing various Christian groupings and will examine key issues surrounding the project, particularly its funding and proposed location.
Chairman of the Christian Council, Rev. Enoch Nii Narh Thompson, said the committee would also consider other matters relevant to the future of the project.
“We have concluded that a technical committee will be composed by all the councils representing the various Christian groupings and that this council will within a month discuss all the issues regarding the practical dimensions of funding and location and any other things pertinent to the National Cathedral Project,” he said.
Recommendations expected within a month
Rev. Thompson said the committee is expected to complete its work within a month and submit its findings and recommendations to the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga.
The recommendations will subsequently be forwarded to President John Dramani Mahama to guide decisions on the future of the project.
“We will within a month present to the honourable minister the findings of or the recommendations of these technical committee for his study and then onward forwarding to the President of the Republic for the necessary decisions to be taken,” he said.
The Christian Council expressed hope that the process would help resolve disagreements surrounding the project and bring an end to the uncertainty over its future.
“We are hopeful and trusting that these things will help to bring a conclusion to this matter that has lingered for a while over our national polity as a people,” Rev. Thompson said.
National Cathedral controversy
The National Cathedral project has been surrounded by controversy since it was announced in March 2018 by then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The project was presented as a personal promise to God following his 2016 election victory and was envisioned as a “physical embodiment of unity, harmony and spirituality.”
Designed by British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, the proposed complex included multiple chapels, a baptistery, a 5,000-seat auditorium, a music school, an art gallery and Africa’s first Bible Museum.
The facility was planned for a 14.5-acre site near Independence Square, the Osu Cemetery and the Accra Sports Stadium.
An audit of the National Cathedral Secretariat’s operations covering 2021 to 2023, completed by Deloitte and Touche in May 2025, identified several financial irregularities, procurement breaches and what it described as a general lack of due process.
Following the audit, President Mahama dissolved the National Cathedral Secretariat in July 2025, effective May 1, and directed the Auditor-General to conduct a comprehensive forensic audit.
Government also tasked the Attorney-General with taking steps to lawfully terminate the contract for the project.
Consensus on future of project
At a recent meeting with the Christian Council, Minister Mahama Ayariga stressed the need for consensus within the Christian community on the project’s location, cost and financing.
The newly established technical committee is expected to provide a platform for the various Christian groupings to deliberate on those issues and develop a common position.
The committee is expected to begin work immediately, with its recommendations due within a month for consideration by the minister and onward submission to the President.
