Akufo-Addo meets Christian Leaders over National Cathedral

President Akufo-Addo will today [Wednesday] hold a breakfast meeting with the clergy following the public agitation over his administration’s plan to facilitate the building of a national cathedral at Ridge in Accra.

Details available indicate that the meeting has been necessitated due to the call on the government to rescind its decision to eject some 9 Court of Appeal judges around ridge for pave way for the construction of the national cathedral.

It is expected that the meeting will conclude on whether or not to go ahead with the construction at the proposed site or secure land at a different location. President Akufo-Addo been petitioned to reconsider a plan to clear Judges from their Ridge Roundabout residence to make way for the construction of the 5000-seater National Cathedral.

Samson Anyenini, a prominent legal practitioner and the host of news analysis programme, Newsfile, revealed on Saturday that many residents whose homes are situated on a vast stretch of prime land to be used for the cathedral, including nine Judges, have been served quit orders to vacate the area immediately.

Meanwhile, a leading member of the NPP, Gabby Otchere-Darko has described the location for the cathedral as perfect. I’m a little lost on this whole debate about the Cathedral. What really is the new issue? Were all these facts not available when the project was commissioned in March? Is it wrong for a Christian president to push for a national monument of a non-denominational Cathedral (which will end up being one of landmarks of the world) which WILL NOT be funded by taxpayers?

In 2016, if our journalists can investigate, that whole enclave was being parceled quietly for a private developer (name withheld) who was going to bring down the houses occupied by judges and more in that same area to put up prestige apartments for the rich - to the exclusion of the public.

I believe that would not have been controversial at all. After all, several buildings, including colonial ones occupied by Chief Justices and AGs, including Geoffrey Bing, in the 1950s were broken down in the 1990s (see 4th Circular Road, Cantonments) and after to make way for private homes for the rich.'' The cathedral will have an auditorium capable of seating 5,000 as well as the requisite chapels, and a baptistery. The site will also house a music school, an art gallery, and a museum dedicated to the Bible.

The design of the cathedral reflects the art and culture of Ghanaian ethic groups; the high pitched and staggered roof is reminiscent of Akanian architecture and the facade will be concave and decorated with timber in imitation of Ashanti royal stools.’’