National Cathedral: Ayariga Outlines Potential Road Map For Completion of Controversial Project

• Minister for Local Government Mahama Ayariga disclosed the NDC's position on the National Cathedral during a meeting with the Christian Council
• Ayariga called on Catholic, Protestant and other Christian leaders to agree on a shared position before seeking direction from President Mahama
• The minister cited the National Mosque as a model for how religious unity and international partnerships can finance infrastructure

The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has clarified that neither President John Dramani Mahama nor the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is opposed to the construction of a National Cathedral in Ghana.

But the party has outstanding concerns about where it should be built and how it should be financed.

Ayariga made the remarks when the Christian Council of Ghana paid a courtesy call on him, using the occasion to appeal for Christian unity on the matter before any formal engagement with the presidency.

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The minister was direct about the nature of the NDC's reservations, drawing a clear distinction between objecting to the idea of a National Cathedral and objecting to the conditions surrounding it.

"I know for a fact that the President does not think there is anything wrong with the country having a national cathedral. Again, I know that the NDC as a party had issues with the location; is that okay? We had issues with funding sources. We just need to sit, all of us, around the table and build a consensus, and then the President will be able to lead us in the right direction," he said.

Ayariga proposed convening a broad gathering of leaders from the Catholic Church, Protestant denominations and other Christian organisations to deliberate on the project's cost, preferred location and financing model without the pressure of competing denominational interests.

Minister Urges Christians to Build a United Front

Ayariga expressed confidence that a coordinated Christian community, both within Ghana and in the diaspora, possessed sufficient capacity to mobilise the resources needed to complete the Cathedral without controversy over public funding.

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"If we secure a united front as Christians, I believe His Excellency President John Mahama will be able to lead us to wherever we want to go as a church," he said.

He pointed to the National Mosque as a practical precedent, arguing that religious solidarity and strategic international partnerships had proven effective in funding a major national religious project, and that the same approach could work for the Cathedral.

The minister concluded by urging Christian leaders to resolve their differences internally and present a consolidated position to the President, after which he indicated he would facilitate a direct engagement with President Mahama for formal guidance on the path forward.

Source: YEN.com.gh