The National Cathedral project, once championed as a unifying symbol of faith and national identity, has become the epicenter of political tension and
The National Cathedral project, once championed as a unifying symbol of faith and national identity, has become the epicenter of political tension and public scrutiny following an alleged damning audit report and a fierce backlash from its now-dissolved Board of Trustees.
What began as a spiritual vision has now turned into a full-blown confrontation between government officials and the board over transparency, accountability, and the future of the controversial project.
On July 18, 2025, the Board of the National Cathedral issued a sharp rebuke in response to a press conference held by the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.
At the presser, the minister presented findings from Deloitte and Touche audit of the project, stating that a staggering $97 million in public funds had been expended — yet the project had failed to deliver any visible structure beyond a vast, empty excavation.
However, in its statement, the Board accused the Minister of presenting a skewed and incomplete version of the audit’s findings.
According to the Board, Kwakye Ofosu’s presentation focused exclusively on the Management Letter — a document outlining preliminary audit queries — without reference to the Board’s detailed responses, which form an integral part of the complete audit package.
The Board described this approach as “incomplete disclosure” and misleading to the Ghanaian public.
“It is rather strange that the press conference focused mainly on the Management Letter and not the actual audit reports for 2020-2023,” the statement read.
The Board added that the Minister had full access to both the queries and the responses but deliberately omitted the latter, suggesting an intent to create a one-sided narrative about mismanagement and impropriety.
The fallout from the audit prompted swift government action. President John Dramani Mahama directed the Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, to begin legal processes to formally dissolve the Cathedral Board and terminate all existing contracts tied to the project.
The Secretariat, which had been operating under the Office of the President, was also shut down on May 1, 2025.
According to the audit findings presented by Kwakye Ofosu, Ghana had already spent $58 million on the project and still owed $39 million to the main contractor, Ribade JV — pushing the total cost to $97 million with nothing but a massive pit at the project site.
The audit further revealed numerous financial discrepancies, including a GHS 4.9 million payment made to architect Sir David Adjaye & Associates Ltd, which lacked sufficient supporting documentation.
The report also pointed out that The Nehemiah Group, a U.S.-based fundraising consultant, continued receiving payments totaling $523,521.03 even after its contract had expired.
An additional $110,630.56 was paid for fundraising events in the United States that yielded no financial returns.
Another concerning discovery was a near GHS 2.6 million “loan repayment” made to JNS Talent Centre Ltd — a company owned by then-Board Member Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng — for which no traceable loan agreement existed.
The audit also uncovered more than GHS 38 million in mobile money donations that were not properly reconciled, and payments for questionable expenditures such as blogger fees, luxury hotel accommodations, and international trips.
The procurement practices employed by the Board were also deemed to have violated Ghana’s Public Procurement Act.
Despite these findings, the Cathedral Board insists the audit was selectively interpreted. In the July 18 press statement signed by Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, the Board lamented that the President dissolved the Board even though ongoing investigations by agencies like the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) had yet to produce.
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