Mahama Delivers Strongest Assurance Yet On National Cathedral: "We Shouldn't Use Taxpayers' Money"

• President John Mahama reiterated his opposition to using public funds for the National Cathedral during his Upper West Region tour
• Mahama disclosed that a forensic audit into nearly $90 million spent on the project has been completed and is with the Attorney General
• The Christian Council of Ghana constituted a technical committee in September 2026 to explore ways to revive the stalled cathedral project

President John Mahama has restated his position that taxpayers' money should not finance the construction of a National Cathedral in Ghana, arguing instead that the country's Christian community holds the capacity to raise the required funds independently.

Mahama made the remarks during a citizens' engagement session as part of his tour of the Upper West Region, where he addressed the long-running controversy surrounding the stalled project.

The President said his objection centres on the principle of fiscal responsibility rather than any personal opposition to the idea itself. "I am a Christian myself. I have nothing against having a national cathedral," he stated, drawing a clear distinction between the concept and the question of how it should be funded.

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He argued that Ghana's Christian population is large enough to mobilise the necessary resources without drawing on the public purse. "I mean, how many Christians are in this country? If we all pay 1,000 cedis each, we should be able to construct a national cathedral," he said.

Beyond the funding dispute, Mahama also raised concerns about the site chosen for the project. He described the area as already congested with major national institutions, including Parliament, the International Conference Centre, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital and the National Theatre. Adding another major facility, he argued, would further strain movement and access in the zone.

He was also critical of the demolitions carried out to clear land for the project. "My problem was also that the amount of destruction we had to cause to clear the area; broke 10 judges' residences. We broke the Malian Ambassador's residence. Up to now, we've not replaced it. And several other properties, the old passport office, all of them were demolished to make way for a national cathedral," he said.

Forensic Audit With the Attorney General

Mahama disclosed that a forensic audit into expenditure on the project has been completed and is currently with the Attorney General. He said he intends to share a copy with the Christian Council of Ghana to allow the body to scrutinise how nearly $90 million was spent. "The forensic audit is ready; it's with the Attorney General, and I'll make a copy of it available to the Christian Council so that they can look at the processes of what went into the expenditure of the 90 million dollars, so that if there's any corrective action, we can take it together," he said.

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The President also clarified why he did not carry the project forward alongside other inherited initiatives, saying the cathedral was not a national policy but "a personal pledge by the former president to God," referring to his predecessor Nana Akufo-Addo.

The Christian Council of Ghana announced on Friday, 11 September 2026, that it had formed a technical committee drawn from various Christian groupings to identify a viable path forward for the project. The committee has been given one month to propose a funding model and make recommendations on the proposed location and other unresolved matters.

Source: YEN.com.gh