President John Dramani Mahama said he disagrees with using taxpayers' money to fund the National Cathedral project, arguing that the Christian community has the numbers and resources to raise the funds to complete it.
Speaking during a citizens’ engagement in Wa on Saturday (September 12, 2026), President Mahama said he had no objection to the construction of a national cathedral because he himself was also a Christian.
But, he said he disagreed with where the previous administration tried to locate the project, since it was already a congested area, with Parliament House, Accra International Conference Centre, National Theatre and Greater Accra Regional Hospital already concentrated in the area.
He said the project, which was started by the previous administration, should be treated differently from other policies inherited from the previous administration that he had pledged to continue.
Read also: Christian Council sets up technical committee on National Cathedral
Last week, the Christian Council of Ghana established a technical committee to explore the way forward for the stalled National Cathedral project.
The committee will comprise representatives from councils representing various Christian groupings and is expected to examine key issues surrounding the project, particularly its funding and location.
The Chairman of the CCG, Rev. Enoch Nii Narh Thompson, said the committee would also consider other matters relevant to the future of the project.
Rev. Thompson said the committee is expected to complete its work within a month and submit its findings and recommendations to the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga and subsequently to President John Dramani Mahama to guide decisions on the future of the project.
President Mahama in Wa
Speaking on the National Cathedral project in Wa on Saturday, President Mahama said it began as a personal pledge by President Akufo-Addo to God and was not an official state policy.
“My second problem was that we shouldn’t use taxpayers’ money,” he said.
President Mahama said Ghana’s large Christian population should be able to raise the funds required to complete the project.
“If we all pay a thousand cedis each, we should be able to construct a national cathedral,” he said.
President Mahama compared the National Cathedral project with the National Mosque, which he said was constructed without government funding.
He said Ghana’s Muslim community secured support from a Turkish Muslim non-governmental organisation to construct the mosque.
On the finances of the project, President Mahama said almost $90 million had been spent on the National Cathedral.
He said a forensic audit into the expenditure had been completed and was currently with the Attorney-General.
President Mahama said he intended to share a copy of the audit report with the Christian Council of Ghana for review.
He said the review would allow the Christian Council to examine the processes through which the money was spent and determine whether any corrective action was required.
