Afenyo-Markin defends National Cathedral as Mahama dissolves board

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has defended the National Cathedral project, describing it as a national asset with potential beyond its religious purpose.

Speaking at an engagement with the Christian Council, Afenyo-Markin said the project should not be viewed simply as a place of worship. He explained that the facility could serve the wider Ghanaian population by contributing to tourism and providing a national rallying point.

“This National Cathedral, we need it as a nation. It shouldn’t be too simplistic that a cathedral is just for prayer. It is also for tourism,” he said.

“So if we have the cathedral, it’s not only for the Christian community; it is for the entire nation. It is tourism potential, it is image and the image of the country, it becomes a rallying point for us as a country.”

His comments come after President John Dramani Mahama directed the immediate dissolution of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana project.

The decision was communicated in a letter dated September 18, 2026, signed by the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga.

The trustees have been directed to liaise with the project consultant and formally hand over the National Cathedral project site to the Ministry by October 31, 2026.

The Ministry said the handover would allow the government to determine the future of the project.

Afenyo-Markin criticised what he described as a lack of clarity from the government over the future of the site.

“The government is showing inconsistency. It says one thing today, it says another tomorrow. We don’t know what they want to use the site for. There’s no clarity as to what they want to use the site for,” he said.

The dissolution follows an engagement between the Ministry and Christian leaders on the future of the project.

The Christian Council had said the discussions included the need to expedite a forensic audit and establish a technical committee to examine issues including funding and the future direction of the project.

The government is expected to determine the next steps for the National Cathedral project after the formal handover of the site.