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The Minister for Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has dismissed reports suggesting that the land designated for the controversial National Cathedral project will be transformed into a convention and cultural complex.
Speaking in an interview with Citi FM on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu clarified that although a continental organization had proposed converting the site in exchange for office space, such an idea is not being considered by the government.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has ordered a forensic audit into the National Cathedral project following the discovery of a GH¢4.9 million discrepancy in contractor payments. The move is part of a broader effort to uncover the financial mismanagement flagged by Deloitte in its audit management letters.
Mr. Kwakye Ofosu stressed that although Deloitte’s audit was a routine financial review and not a forensic assessment, its management letter exposed several procurement violations, irregular expenditures, and gaps in financial documentation. He criticised both the National Cathedral Secretariat and certain MPs for misrepresenting the findings.
“No honest reading of the management letter can conclude that everything was above board. It is filled with evidence of serious mismanagement,” he stated.
As part of the government’s response, the National Cathedral Secretariat was dissolved effective May 1, 2025, and all project-related staff salaries were stopped from April 29. Additionally, President Mahama has instructed the Attorney-General to initiate legal proceedings to formally dissolve the Board of Trustees and terminate the contractor’s agreement due to continued financial losses, particularly from equipment rentals.
So far, the project—located on a 15.7-acre plot in central Accra—has cost the nation an estimated US$97 million, comprising US$58 million in confirmed public expenditure and US$39 million in interim certificates submitted by the contractor.
Despite the public interest and speculation, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu reaffirmed that no definitive decision has been made about the site’s future. He also emphasized that President Mahama remains firm in his position that no additional public funds will be spent on the project.
