Features
What is so special about this National Cathedral Project?
In recent times, the most trending news on social media platforms and the traditional news space, is on the National Cathedral Project being embarked upon by the government cum private partnership in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. Hardly a day passes, without hearing something controversial on this topical issue, either on our traditional airwaves or in the print media.
QUESTIONS FROM GHANAIANS ABOUT THE CATHEDRAL PROJECT
Some of the contentious questions people are asking about this particular project are; what is so special about this so-called national cathedral in the midst of the present economic difficulties? What at all is in this national cathedral project which has been hidden from Ghanaians? Why is the government adamant and so committed to this project in spite of numerous calls from Ghanaians to it to tackle pressing issues that will put the economy back on track? What significant benefit is the country and for that matter, the people are going to derive from this national cathedral? Is this project meant to benefit the government or any single individual? Who is behind this particular project and where is the funding coming from? Is it a state or private sponsored project? Why is it that other social intervention programmes such as the National School Feeding Programme (NSFP), National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) project are all in arrears, yet we want to spend huge funds on this national cathedral project?
GHANAIANS’ ANXIETY ABOUT THE CATHEDRAL PROJECT
These and many other questions are agitating the minds of millions of Ghanaians most of whom are Christians alright but they feel that the present circumstance in which people find it difficult to make ends meet, does not merit the building of a national cathedral at the expense of their poverty and sufferings. However, what the government is saying is that the building of a national cathedral is of necessity and paramount and would, therefore, not listen to the protest by the people on whose mandates they came to power. That is interesting, indeed!
FINANCE MINISTER’S DEFENCE FOR THE PROJECT
Our Finance Minister, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, keeps defending the project saying it is a potential investment which would pay off in the future. Instead, he asked those who are opposing the project to be measured in their criticisms. He says government was mindful of taxpayers’ money being used to support the building of the national cathedral and was strategising to ensure that money pumped into the construction is recouped within the shortest possible time after construction.
To him, the current economic challenges should not deter the state from fulfilling its responsibility to build a monument that has huge investment potential. The cheek of it is that the Minister threw back his annoyance at Ghanaians on Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), the state broadcaster last Sunday for opposing the construction of the project. Hear him; “At any point in time when these buildings were built in Europe, was it ever the right time? How do we fund it will become the question? Is the Executive mindful of the current situation? We shouldn’t snuff out our religiousness or spirituality because we are poor. The Lord will understand if we put our widow’s mite in there”.
GHANAIANS ANXIOUS TO KNOW INVESTMENT POTENTIALS IN THIS PROJECT
The Finance Minister’s outburst on the state broadcaster on the opposition of this project is neither here nor there. Ghanaians will ask the minister; what kind of investment potential can they derive from this cathedral and in any case where will that benefits go to? Is it into people’s pocket or where? Will the benefits be shared to people who contributed to the fund towards the project? It is a fact that if the minister and his family are suffering like most Ghanaians who are finding it difficult to survive the present economic hardships in the country, he would have minded his choice of words, language and refrained from telling Ghanaians that they should not snuff out our religiousness or spirituality because they are poor.
In any case, how can the government release a colossal amount of GHc 25 million to the cathedral project as an additional seed money when projects meant to mitigate the hardships of most Ghanaians and the deprived communities are in huge arrears. That is unheard of in a sound democratic governance. Ghanaians are, indeed, not comfortable with the show of arrogance on the part of some of our leaders. They forget that we put them where they are through our thumbs.
COMPARING OURSELVES WITH OTHER ADVANCED NATIONS
Indeed, Ghana is a purely religious country with more than half of the population, 71.2 per cent forming the Christian community with about one-fifth making the Muslim movement and a small segment adhering to the traditional indigenous religions. Religious tolerance in Ghana is very high but that does not prevent the people from making the right choices and speaking their minds in times of difficulties and economic hardship. No right thinking person in Ghana will like to suffer while money meant to alleviate their sufferings are channelled to projects that are of less significance to the economic survival. All things being equal, Ghanaians will wholeheartedly embrace this cathedral project and contribute their quota towards its success, but that is not the case. In other jurisdictions such as United States of America and the United Kingdom among others, where they have these cathedrals in existence, they do not experience hardships like the way we do and, therefore, the system is smooth and friendly and can accommodate such project easily. There is no way we can compare ourselves with others who have put up cathedrals because their mode of financing some of these projects are entirely different from ours.
PROJECT LAUDABLE BUT NOT RELEVANT UNDER PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCE
This National Cathedral project is by all intents and purposes laudable not in dispute in any way because it is a planned inter-denominational Christian cathedral with a baptistery, a 5,000-seating capacity, two level auditorium, a grand central hall, music school, choir rehearsal, art gallery, shop as well as multi use spaces. We are told that aside all these facilities in the cathedral, it will serve also as the home to Africa’s first Bible Museum and Documentation Centre dedicated to Christianity and nation building in Ghana.
This ambitious project was an idea floated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as part of Ghana’s 60th anniversary celebration and the design was unveiled by him in March 2018. Indeed, the beautiful design by David Adjaye and Associates, reflects the art and culture of Ghanaian ethnic groups, with the high pitched and staggered roof reminiscent of an Akan inspired architecture.
LET’S TREAD CAUTIOUSLY WITH THIS PROJECT
The cathedral project and its entire architecture are laudable initiative by the government which cannot be wished away. It portrays the level of Christian values in this country and how the people are anxious to worship the Almighty God with all their heart and might. However, the present economic circumstance, to many Ghanaians mostly the Christian community, does not encourage the construction of this project now using state resources. Ghanaians have raised their voices and if the government claims it is a listening one as it made us to understand at the initial stages, it can hold on to the project and bring it back at another time when the economy improves and on a sound footing. After all, there are quite a number of private auditoriums put up by some of the well-established religious leaders in our country which we can rely on for the meantime for both public and private engagements in addition to our well established various conference halls in Accra and elsewhere.
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By Charles Neequaye
Walk into any supermarket in Accra, Kumasi, or Tamale today, and you will see the modern Ghanaian diet packaged as ‘progress.’ You will see breakfast cereals with cartoon mascots, fruit drinks that are mostly sugar and colour, and snacks promising energy and happiness in bright fonts.
Even products loaded with salt and unhealthy fats often wear a health halo labeled as fortified or natural, while the real nutritional risk is hidden in tiny print on the back. This is not just a consumer inconvenience; it is a public health blind spot. Ghana is living through a silent surge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, diabetes, and stroke.
These conditions quietly drain household income and steal productive years. According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, NCDs are now responsible for nearly 45 per cent of all deaths in Ghana.
We cannot build a healthy nation on a food environment designed to confuse people at the point of purchase. Ghana must mandate simple front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL) on high-sugar, high-salt, and high-fat packaged foods because consumers deserve truth at a glance, and industry must be pushed to reformulate.
Why Back-of-Pack Labels Are Not Enough
In theory, consumers can read nutrition panels. In reality, most Ghanaians shop under pressure, limited time, rising prices, and children tugging at their sleeves. The back label is a relic that requires a high cognitive load to interpret—essentially, the seller knows what is inside, but the buyer cannot easily tell.
This ‘information asymmetry’ is not fair. It is not consumer choice when the information needed to choose well is deliberately difficult to find.
Simple warning labels like the black octagons used in the Chilean Model act as a ‘stop-and-think’ nudge. They do not ban products but they simply tell the truth so people can decide.
Reshaping Our Food Environment
A generation ago, Ghana’s meals were mostly home-prepared, like kenkey and banku with soups and stews. Today, ultra-processed foods have become the norm, especially in urban areas. Children are growing up with sugary drinks and salty snacks as everyday items, not occasional treats.
If Ghana is serious about prevention, we must act where decisions are made—thus, the shelf. Warning labels protect parents from sugar traps and pressure the market to improve. When warning labels are mandatory, manufacturers start to compete to make healthier recipes to avoid the stigma of the label.
Addressing the Pushback
Industry will argue that labels create fear or that education alone is enough. However, health education is slow; labels work immediately. While the informal street food sector is a challenge, regulating pre-packaged goods is the practical starting point because the supply chain is traceable. We cannot wait until the whole system is perfect; we must start where action is feasible.
A 2026 Implementation Roadmap for Ghana
To move from talk to action, Ghana needs this 5-step plan:
- Issue mandatory regulation: The Ministry of Health, Food and Drug Authority (FDA), and Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) must define the label format and nutrient thresholds for all pre-packaged foods.
- Simple, bold symbols: Use plain language and clear symbols, such as “HIGH IN SUGAR,” designed for busy families, not experts.
- Transparent thresholds: Adopt technically defensible standards adapted to the Ghanaian diet.
- Transition and enforce: Provide a 12–18 month period for manufacturers to reformulate, followed by firm enforcement at ports and retail centers.
- National literacy campaign: The Ghana Health Service must pair labels with public messages explaining why high salt or sugar increases disease risk.
Conclusion: Truth Is Not a Luxury
Prevention is cheaper than treatment. A warning label costs little compared to the price of dialysis, stroke rehabilitation, or lifelong diabetes complications. A black octagon on a box of biscuits is more than a label; it is a shield for the health of all Ghanaians. It is time to put the truth where we can see it, right on the front.
By Abigail Amoah Sarfo
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Natives of the Kenkey Kingdom were mad with joy. They were still recovering from the hangover of the kingdom’s loss of the African Cup when their spirits were rekindled. Their great warrior, Zoom Zoom, stormed Melbourne and made sure that every Australian refused food. And that was after he had drawn contour lines on the face of their idol, Jeff Fenech.
Not only did the terrible warrior transform Old Boy Jeff’s face into a contour map useful for geography lessons, but he also accomplished the feat of retaining the much-envied super-kenkeyweight title against all odds. The warrior had not been eating hot kenkey for nothing.
The Fight Against Fenech
When Jeff Fenech bit the dust in the eighth round, I was tempted to consider if Adanko Deka could not have faced him in any twelve-rounder, title or non-title bout. Adanko has improved tremendously, and soon he would be facing Pernell Whitaker.
Sincerely, I was pessimistic about Azumah’s man, who the last time took him through twelve grueling rounds of rough boxing. I expressed my fears to my colleague Christian Abbew, alias Gbonyo, who surprisingly had total confidence that the Australian brawler would fall, predictably in Round Five.
Gbonyo gave reasons for his contention, all of which I counteracted using the age factor. Fact is, I didn’t know that contrary to the laws of nature, Azumah was all the time growing younger.
When Fenech fell briefly in round one, I asked my brother whether it was the same Fenech that fought Azumah in Las Vegas. Sure, it was the same Fenech, all out to beat Azumah before his countrymen.
But the African Professor had no intention of making the Australian a hero. As he spun round the desperate Aussie, dancing and stinging out his jabs, it was not too long before I realized that the end was near.
The Eighth Round Showdown
Two minutes into the eighth round, the African ring-master proved to the whole world that he was a true son of Bukom. He himself was cornered, but like the tough nut he is, he managed to break free before overwhelming the panting Australian with several blows that made him crash headlong.
Moments after, the referee, expressing fatherly sympathy, stopped the fight to prevent an obituary. After the ordeal, Fenech’s fairly handsome face was full of newly constructed hills, valleys, ox-bow lakes—whatever. I noticed that his nose was very tired and had a miniature volcano sitting restlessly on it. Obviously, Jeff’s wife will have to nurse that nose back to its normal shape—but I’d advise her not to use iodine, otherwise her dear husband will wail like a banshee.
Reflections on Boxing
Because Mohammed Ali was the kind of boxer kids liked, many school-going kids often entertained the wish of becoming like him. I remember one day when I told my father I wanted to become a boxer, and he advised me to first complete my education to the highest level. Then, if I decided to become a boxer and was knocked out a couple of times, I’d fall back on my degrees and make a living.
Boxing used to be interesting when bouts were fought more with the mouth and tongue than with gloves. You had to brag well, psychologically belittling your opponent before beating him up physically. Mohammed Ali became a very successful pugilist because he also managed to become a poet. He often blew his horn across America, calling himself the “pretty boxer” and opponents like Joe Frazier “the gorilla.”
Ali made a living fighting hard fists like Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry, George Foreman, Leon Spinks, and Trevor Berbick. Twice he came back from retirement to fight just for money. It was Larry Holmes who finally pensioned him, and since then the great Ali has never been himself.
The Path Ahead for Azumah
When Azumah nailed Jeff Fenech on the cross and barked almost immediately that he was after the head of Pernell Whitaker, I was happy but concerned. I would have been happier if he had announced his resignation there and then—he would have been more of a hero. Beating Fenech in Australia is more newsworthy than facing Whitaker in the States.
With Whitaker, it might be a little difficult. The “Sweet Pea” is agile, has a crooked body like a snake with diarrhea, and stands awkwardly as a southpaw. He is known for having the fastest pair of fists and the rare ability to dodge punches no matter how close they may be.
Much as I do not doubt that Azumah can take his title, I also don’t want him to retire beaten. I want him to retire as a hero and live a fuller, healthy life.
As Azumah himself said after dishing Fenech, he is now a professor and has something to show for it. Like a true professor, I think it is time he resigned and took up training young talents who could draw inspiration from him and become like him in the future.
Closing Thoughts
I must say that although ageing boxers like Larry Holmes and George Foreman are making a name for themselves, boxing is not like the Civil Service, where you can even change your age and retire at 74. Zoom Zoom has delighted the hearts of the natives, and Sikaman will forever hold him in high esteem—but only when he retires as a hero.
This article was first published on Saturday, March 7, 1992.
