National Cathedral Project: Audit confirms GHS4.9 Million wrongfully paid to Adjaye and Associates

A Deloitte audit report on the National Cathedral project has revealed an incorrect payment of almost GHS5 million to the architectural firm Adjaye & Associates.

The results contribute to increasing worries about financial discrepancies related to the disputed national monument.

The Minister for Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, announced that the company headed by Sir David Adjaye was paid GHS117,972,656.00 in total for consultancy services related to the project. Official government records show a total of GHS113,040,564.86, resulting in an unaccounted difference of GHS4,932,091.14.

Kwakye Ofosu stated that the Ministry of Finance paid Adjaye & Associates a total of GHS87,938,750.00 from September 26, 2018, to November 25, 2019. The Office of the President transferred a total of GHS30,033,906.00, which includes GHS29,664,845.29 on February 19, 2021, and GHS369,060.71 on March 5, 2021.

Together, these totals equal the complete amount reported by the company. Government financial records do not include nearly GHS5 million of that amount, which raises significant questions about accountability.

This discovery comes after wider audit results regarding the National Cathedral project, which have already led to political consequences, including President Mahama’s choice to disband the board and close the project’s Secretariat.