Ghana govment terminate controversial $97m national cathedral project due to irregularities

    • Author, Komla Adom
    • Role, Senior Journalist, BBC News Pidgin
    • Reporting from, Accra
  • Read am in 6 mins

Di govment of Ghana don announce say dem don terminate di contract for di controversial cathedral project wey so far don cost $58m.

According to statement from di govment minister for communication, one audit by ogbonge company Deloitte don find say di Ghana govment bin dey owe di contractors anoda $39m; even though di project no comot from ground level.

In total, di project now bin cost $97m, but dem no even build foundation blocks for di site since.

Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu tok for di press conference say di audit find "ogbonge irregularities wit di payments and di work wia di contractors bin do from 2021 to 2023."

"Di former govment don vary di contract wit di contractor and sub-contractors wey cost di kontri plenty money."

Skip content and continue reading

End of content

Wetin govment decide afta di audit report.

Di govment of Ghana don announce say dem bin take some decisions afta di report.

Di president don direct say make dem do dis tins:

  • - di national cathedral wey bin dey use di presidency as dia secretariat don dey dissolved as at 1 May 2025
  • - legal steps dey go on to dissolve di board of trustees of di cathedral project
  • - despite di plenty irregularities wey dey inside di Deloitte report, govment don direct di auditor-general to do forensic audit for di project and di oda activities of di secretariat
  • - di attorney general don begin to take steps to lawfully terminate di contract to prevent further cost and losses to di state
  • - afta di forensic audit, govment go take decisive action about any impropriety wey di report go find and di future of di project itself

Discrepancies for consultancy fees and contract money dem pay

Di audit find say dem no fit explain how $470k miss afta di office of di president confam say dem bin pay $11m to di architect but di company report say dem bin receive $11.3k between September 2018 and March 2021.

E also find variations for Contract money wit Ribade JV.

Di formal contract wey dem execute wit Ribade JV put di amount at $261.9k, without tax and oda levies.

But di office of di president confam figure wey dey higher ($286.4k).

Di difference na $24.5m from di official amount wey dem bin officially sign for di agreement.

Anoda confusion na about moni wey dem pay to one company – Nehemiah group as consultant for di cathedral project.

According to di office of di president, dem bin pay total of $4.2m to di company, but Nehemiah group say dem don receive $4.3m, wit difference of $60k wey dey unaccounted for.

Office of di president also bin confam say di outstanding moni wey dem get to pay di company na $1.8m, di company say di goment dey owe dem $155k – difference of almost $1.7m.

Non-Compliance wit law during di composition of di procurement committee

Di audit don show also say dem violate section 20 of di public procurement act 2003 (Act 663) wen dem bin dey set up di procurement committee.

Dem fail to meet di legally mandated composition wey get to include key statutory members according to law.

Di chairperson and secretary no dey properly designated according to di Act.

Dis non-compliance dey undermine di legitimacy of di procurement decision wey di committee bin take.

Wetin di cathedral secretariat tok

Di project bin stop many times since 2023, as govment tok say dem no get moni to fund am.

Early dis month, tori bin go round say di new govment under John Mahama wan turn di cathedral to national cultural convention centre.

Na so di cathedral secretariat respond.

Oga for di secretariat (wey now dey dissolved), Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah tok for one statement say, "di cathedral project neva dey abandoned, wia dem no take any decision to use am for cultural convention centre."

Dr Opoku-Mensah add say, "di board dey fully committed to di vision for di cathedral project, not only as national place of worship, but also one interfaith and cultural space for Ghanaians."

But dat no go happun again as di Ghana govment don now take steps to dissolve di board of trustees.

Di secretariat since allegations don comot about dia activities don tok say dem no tiff any moni.

Di controversial project na former Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo im personal pledge to God say im go build cathedral give am if im win di 2016 election.

Di former president explain say na private moni; from churches and oda donations go build di project, but e don comot say dem bin spend plenty taxpayer moni for di project.

As at July 2023, di govment bin spend total of $339 on top di project from di taxpayer moni.

Minister of state for di finance ministry at di time, Madam Abena Osei Asare justify di payment for parliament wey she tok say di ministry dey "committed to ensure say di project get di necessary funding."

Civil society groups and oda sabi pipo don criticize di decision to build di cathedral and di taxpayer moni dem bin dey use.

Dem describe di project as "misplaced priority and waste of public funds" at a time di kontri bin dey suffer economic crisis.