The Christian Council of Ghana says it will present its recommendations on the stalled National Cathedral project to the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs within a month, for onward transmission to President John Dramani Mahama.

Chairman of the Christian Council, Rev. Enoch Nii Narh Thompson, said the timeline follows the establishment of a technical committee tasked with examining the project's funding, location and other outstanding issues.

"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 technical committee will comprise representatives from councils representing various Christian groupings. Rev. Thompson said it would examine the practical dimensions of funding and location, along with any other matters pertinent to 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.

The 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.

Background

The National Cathedral project has been mired in controversy since its inception. Announced in March 2018 by then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a personal promise to God following his 2016 election victory, the project was envisioned as a "physical embodiment of unity, harmony and spirituality."

The proposed design, by British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, included multiple chapels, a baptistery, a 5,000-seat auditorium, a music school, an art gallery, and Africa's first Bible Museum, to be situated on 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 over 2021-23, completed by Deloitte and Touche in May 2025, uncovered a litany of financial irregularities, procurement breaches, and a "general lack of due process."

Following the audit, President Mahama dissolved the secretariat in July 2025, effective May 1, and instructed the Auditor-General to conduct a comprehensive forensic audit. The government also tasked the Attorney-General with taking legal steps to lawfully terminate the National Cathedral contract.

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 establishment of the technical committee is expected to provide a platform for the various Christian groupings to examine those issues and agree on recommendations, with its work expected to begin immediately.