President in a pose with the members of the 13-member Board of Trustees for the National Cathedral
A 13-member Board of Trustees for the National Cathedral which is being put up in Accra, was inaugurated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday.
The Board is chaired by Reverend Samuel Asante-Antwi, with the Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop of Accra, Gabriel Charles Palmer Buckle, as his Vice and Reverend Victor Kusi Boateng, the Acting Secretary.
Members were drawn from various denominations of the Christian faith, including Bishop Justice Ofei Akrofi, Apostle Dr Opoku Nyinah, Reverend Joyce Aryee, Reverend Cephas Hormenyo, Bishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, Most Reverend Emmanuel Martey, Bishop Dag Heward Mills, Dr Paul Frimpong-Manso, Reverend Titus Awotwi-Pratt and Pastor Dr Mensa Otabil.
They are to agree on the design, raise funds for the construction of the building and supervise the building process.
They would also be in-charge of managing the Cathedral upon its completion.
It is intended to be an interdenominational church where Christians of all denominations can gather and worship.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Board, President Akufo-Addo said, “The major significance is that it will also stand as the church where formal state occasions of religious nature will take place.”
That, he said, included “the inauguration of a president, the death of a president, state funerals, state burials; these kinds of activities which require a certain solemnity, formality, will be the purpose and the service that the Cathedral will give.”
Aside that, he indicated that “Private activities will also be encompassed there; people who use it for worship and some arrangements are going to be made to make that possible. But the central focus is the national significance.”
Distinguished Ghanaian Architect, David Adjaye, is said to have offered to provide architectural designs for the project.
When it got to his turn, Reverend Asante-Antwi thanked the president for the opportunity given him and his colleague members to serve the nation.
“We are conscious of the fact that tabernacles and temples and cathedrals are all very important symbols and we are so happy that you’ve dreamt about this thing for this nation,” he noted.
He identified 131 cathedrals in the whole world with two in Africa – Nigeria and Ivory Coast.
Reverend Asante-Antwi was therefore, sure the one to be constructed would be the third on the continent, saying, “I can also pledge that my colleagues will work tirelessly for this to materialize.”
Already, he said some have started calling to pledge monetary support for the project.
Meanwhile, James Kwabena Bomfeh, popularly known as Kabila of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), has filed a suit against the decision in an attempt to prevent the president from going ahead with the project.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent
