Accra, April 16, GNA – Mr Ekow Spio-Garbrah, a former Minister of Trade and Industry under the John Dramani Mahama administration, has proposed the conversion of the stalled National Cathedral project into a tourist centre.
He said the project, from all indications, would not be completed this year by the government hence in the interim, the site could be made attractive to tourists to rake in some revenue.
According to Mr Spio-Garbrah, redesigning the uncompleted site for tourists would serve the same purpose the government intended to achieve with the final edifice.
Speaking at the 2024 “Africa’s Peace, Investment and Tourism Summit”, held in Accra on Monday, Mr Spio-Garbrah said the government would not be able to complete the project anytime soon as country was “bankrupt”, saying it needed to ‘think outside the box’ to ‘salvage’ the project.
Confident of the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) return to power after the December polls, he said the next NDC government “would have to reflect on what to do” with the uncompleted project, which some members of the NDC describe as the “world’s most expensive hole”.
“…If any country was faced with this tragedy, they will convert it into an advantage…My thinking as an individual is that, in the meantime, why don’t we make it a tourist centre so that people [from all parts of the country and the world] can visit at a fee.
“…There are a lot of artefacts and decorations along the perimeter of the big hole…so those graphics and poster designs can be reconfigured…and then create an entrance to the facility with a history of it…it would be historical,” he told GNA on the sidelines of the Summit.
Mr Spio-Garbrah urged the Minister of Tourism to present a paper to the Cabinet on the subject for implementation.
The Summit, organised by the David Douglas Leadership Forum, brought together business executives, traditional leaders, students, traders, political party representatives and groups from different African countries.
It, among other things, sought to unite stakeholders to foster peace and explore investment and tourism opportunities on the continent.
Mr Spio-Garbrah, touching on other subjects, hailed the ‘24-hour Economy’ policy being championed by NDC Flagbearer Mr John Dramani Mahama, which he said would help boost the economic fortunes of the country.
GNA