The Board of Directors of the National Cathedral of Ghana has opposed attempts to convert the state-owned land designated for the Cathedral project into a Cultural Convention Centre.

In a statement released after an emergency meeting held on July 7, the Board said it had received no official communication regarding the decision to convert the cathedral but found it necessary to respond to the reports.

The statement, signed by the Executive Director of the National Cathedral, Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, stressed the project's continuing relevance and purpose.

“The National Cathedral was proposed to provide a sacred infrastructure for the formal religious activities of state, including State funerals, and National Thanksgiving services,” he explained.

Dr Opoku-Mensah added that recent developments further justify the need to complete the project. “The President's declaration of July 1 as Ghana's official National Day of Prayer, and the organisation of the first Christian National Day of Prayer outdoors at the forecourt of the State House, provides both the justification and urgency to complete the National Cathedral.”

He also highlighted the cultural and heritage significance of the project, noting its potential as a religious and tourist destination.

“The integration of additional elements including a Bible Museum that tells the history and contributions of the church in Ghana and Africa, including the Ghanaian and African Diaspora, ensures the Cathedral is also developed as a heritage and cultural site that promotes religious pilgrimage and international tourism.”

According to the statement, the land was legally transferred to the National Cathedral of Ghana, a company limited by guarantee, and extensive planning and preparatory work has already been completed.

“The designs for the Cathedral, the Bible Museum, Biblical Garden, Economic Engine comprising 10 revenue streams including a 350-seater restaurant, banquet hall, conference hall, and library, have all been completed based on the layout and specifications of the site,” the Board said.

Construction officially began in 2021, with eight percent of the structure reportedly completed before work was halted due to lack of funds and political controversy.

“The suspension of construction was due, largely, to a lack of funds, as well as a politicisation and vilification of the project that affected fundraising,” Dr Opoku-Mensah noted.

He also dismissed suggestions that the Cathedral had been abandoned, pointing to a clean audit by Deloitte and Touche. “The Audit of the National Cathedral accounts by Deloitte and Touche confirms that all state funds to the project are accounted for, disbursements are based on agreements and/or contracts, and payments were made for actual work done.”

The Board said discussions are underway to explore new funding strategies through public, private and religious collaboration. “Currently, a pathway to the completion of the project through a process of depoliticisation, statutory accountability, and the development of a state-church-society partnership to raise the needed financing is under discussion,” the Board said.

It reaffirmed its commitment to seeing the project through. “The Board remains fully committed to this process and to the completion of this critical infrastructure, which will serve as an interdenominational sacred space and a ‘family house’ a unifying platform for all Ghanaians of the Christian faith, as well as an interreligious space for the broader Ghanaian community.”

The National Cathedral project, originally launched under the Nana Akufo-Addo-led administration as a symbol of national unity and religious faith, has been one of the most controversial public infrastructure projects in Ghana’s recent history.

Intended to serve as a non-denominational Christian worship centre, the project was plagued by delays, lack of transparency, ballooning costs and public outcry over the use of state funds in a secular republic.

But the current government has announced plans to convert the stalled National Cathedral project into a National Cultural Convention Centre (NCCC), positioning it as the flagship hub for Ghana’s burgeoning creative economy and cultural diplomacy efforts.