National Cathedral construction to resume – Board

The controversial National Cathedral construction is expected to resume before the end of the year. This was made public after the September 20 meeting between Deloitte and the Board of Directors (BOD) of the National Cathedral of Ghana.

The information was part of a statement emanating from the chairman of the board, Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah.

The meeting between the board and Deloitte was to give the board a briefing on the audit report of the National Cathedral construction covering the start date of construction to 2020 (December 31, 2020).

The calls for an audit of the National Cathedral construction led to the board’s authorization of the audit. It was also meant to help establish facts and in response to public outcry over alleged corruption and questionable expenditures related to the project.

According to Apostle Onyinah, the audit for the period has been completed, and the report is also ready. This milestone is expected to usher the board into action to resume construction work. Currently at least $58 million has been sunk into the project which the leading opposition party, the National Democratic Party (NDC) has described as the world’s most expensive pit. The project was supposed to have been completed and commissioned on 6th March 2024, but that was not to be.

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“The need for an audit was a key demand by the church leadership and Ghanaians in general to establish the credibility of the implementation of the project. With the completion of this first report, preparations are underway for construction to resume.

“We appreciate your support so far and trust that the completion of the ongoing audit will renew your prayer and financial support for the NCG project.”

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In the last seven years, Ghana’s taxpayers have expended $58 million on the project, which, in August 2024, has not progressed as the government had hoped.

The project has been described as a misplaced priority. Others have described it as a waste of scare resources for development since the promise to build a National Cathedral was an individual promise to God by President Nana Addo which should not be financed with state resources.