The Minister-designate for the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, has called for a need to complete the construction of the National Cathedral.

According to him, ” It is our national asset in its current state, and, in my view, it must be completed.”

He made this call today during his vetting in parliament.

Responding to a question from the MP for Adaklu in the Volta region, Kwame Governs Agbodza Mr. Mercer said “Funding has gone in there, and I’m not so sure whether the jest that it is the World’s Most Expensive hole is palatable to anybody.”

According to him, the Cathedral is a national asset which must be completed.

“It is our national asset that is in that state and it has to be completed,” he said.

Mr. Mercer expressed his resolve to appeal to his colleagues in parliament to approve the budget for the swift construction of the National Cathedral.

“If you want a definitive answer, if I want an opportunity to request parliament consider and to approve a budget for the construction of the National Cathedral, yes,” he said.

“Unfortunately, I do not know the details of the financing positions of today. But it’s obvious, I believe to all of us that the private contributions that were expected weren’t as forthcoming. I recall that in the 2023 budget, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta requested some public funds to enable us to move the project to its conclusion, which was resisted by the House,” he said.

The president of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2023 assured the nation that the controversial “National Cathedral” will be ready by March 6 2024.

Unfortunately, the project is still at the foundation stage, yet to be completed.

It would be recalled that the construction of the cathedral faced heavy criticism from the public, leading to some individuals asserting that the government has not been transparent with funds allocated for the construction.

Surprisingly, the Founder and General Overseer of United Denominations of Action Chapel Churches Worldwide, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, and President of the Eastwood Anaba Ministries, Rev. Eastwood Anaba, resigned from the Board of Trustees overseeing the construction of the National Cathedral in Ghana on October 12, 2023.

The founder and leader of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, also resigned from the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral project in August 2022.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme