President Akufo-Addo, says the proposed National Cathedral which is to be built in the heart of the city of Accra will be one of the iconic structures of the African continent.

Addressing attendees of a ceremony at the construction site of the Cathedral to lay the foundation stone for the commencement of construction works, President Akufo-Addo said he is determined to lead the efforts aimed at ensuring the completion of the project in fulfillment of his pledge to God to build same should he win the 2016 general elections.

“As I indicated on 6th March 2017, upon completion, the National Cathedral is certainly going to be one of the iconic structures of the African Continent,” President Akufo-Addo said.

The Three-Fold Rationale

In his address, the President identified three main reasons behind his decision to mobilize support for the construction of the Cathedral. Firstly, the President said “since gaining our freedom from the colonial power sixty-three years ago on the 6th of March 1957, Ghana has so far been speared civil war, famine, and epidemics”.

“We are certainly no better than the other nations in our neighborhood who have been confronted with these challenges. I believe it is by the grace of God that we have been preserved and sustained. The construction of the Cathedral will be an act of thanksgiving to the Almighty for His Blessings, Grace, Favour and Mercies on our nation” President Akufo-Addo said.

Secondly, President Akufo-Addo said “seventy-one percent of the Ghanaian people adhere to the Christian religion grouped under the various persuasions of the Christian Faith. The interdenominational National Cathedral will help unify the Christian community and thereby help promote national unity and social coercion”.




Lastly, President Akufo-Addo noted that he made a pledge to Almighty God that if He was gracious enough to him to make him President, he will help build a Cathedral to His Glory and Honour.

“I am determined to redeem this pledge” President Akufo-Addo stated.

Foundation Stone

After his address, President Akufo-Addo led a host of Eminent members of the Clergy in Ghana to lay the foundation stone which was imported from the Israeli capital of Jerusalem, the Holy Land, at the exact spot where the altar of the Cathedral will be situated when the building is complete.

Appreciations

President Akufo-Addo registered his deep appreciation to the members of the board of trustees for the Cathedral project and its Chairman Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Asante Antwi, for taking it upon themselves the responsible for shepherding the project to completion, members of the fundraising committee led by the Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams and the celebrated Ghanaian architect, Sir David Adjaye for his services to mother Ghana.

Background

On March 6, 2017, President Akufo-Addo outdoored his vision for the construction of a National Cathedral to be sited close to the State House in Accra. At the groundbreaking ceremony, President described the proposed Cathedral as an interdenominational worship project which is also a thanksgiving gesture to God for the blessings God has bestowed on Ghana on the occasion of its 60th anniversary.

The architectural and structural design of the National Cathedral was done by British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, the founder and principal of Adjaye Associates.

The National Cathedral will house chapels and baptistery, a 5000-seater main auditorium which will be expandable to a 15,000 seater capacity for national events and celebrations. It will also include among others, a grand central hall, a music school, and will house Africa’s first-ever Bible Museum and documentation centre.