Business News of 2026-09-13
Don't use taxpayers' money to complete National Cathedral project - President Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has said taxpayers should not be made to pay for the completion of the National Cathedral, arguing that Ghana’s large Christian population has enough people and resources to finance the project.
Speaking during a citizens’ engagement in Wa on Saturday, September 12, 2026, President Mahama said he was not against the idea of building a National Cathedral because he is also a Christian. His concern, however, is the use of public funds for the project.
“My second problem was that we shouldn’t use taxpayers’ money,” President Mahama said.
He argued that Christians in Ghana could raise enough money themselves to complete the cathedral without depending on government funding.
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“If we all pay a thousand cedis each, we should be able to construct a national cathedral,” he stated.
President Mahama compared the project to the National Mosque in Accra, which he said was built without taxpayers’ money. According to him, the Muslim community received support from a Turkish Muslim organisation to construct the mosque.
He also questioned the location chosen for the National Cathedral by the previous administration. He said the area was already congested, with major facilities including Parliament House, the Accra International Conference Centre, the National Theatre and the Greater Accra Regional Hospital located nearby.
He further said the cathedral should not be treated like other government projects inherited from the previous administration.
He explained that the project began as former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s personal pledge to God rather than an official government policy.
Turning to the cost of the project, President Mahama said almost US$90 million had already been spent on the National Cathedral.
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He disclosed that a forensic audit into how the money was spent had been completed and submitted to the Attorney-General. He said the audit would help determine how the funds were used and whether further action was necessary.
President Mahama added that he intended to give a copy of the audit report to the Christian Council of Ghana to study the findings. This, he said, would allow Christian leaders to examine how the project was handled and determine what should be done next.
DR/MA
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