The cost of the controversial national cathedral, a personal pledge by former President Akufo-Addo to God, has shockingly ballooned from $58 million to $97 million.
The additional $39 million, is an outstanding cost lying in the books expected to be paid to the contractors, Sir David Adjaye and Associates.
The project, located at the heart of the national capital, Ridge in Accra, it has also emerged suffers litany of payment discrepancies, infractions and procurement breaches, needing a forensic audit.
These concerns were raised when Minister for Government Communications and spokesperson to the president, Felix Kwakye Ofosu provided update on audit report conducted by audit firm, Deloitte and Touche on the project,
“Available evidence contrary to the widely held view that total payments and contributions to the national cathedral project amounts to 58 million dollars so far there is actually an additional outstanding payment of 39 million dollars to the contractor.
“Now when added up this brings the total cost incurred so far for the hole that sits at the site of the project to 97 million dollars,” he stressed.
At the news conference held at the presidency on Friday July 18, 2025, Kwakye Ofosu revealed that even though the project has stalled for years now, continues to incur daily cost since March 2023 to date, due to the crookedness of the project.
To end this, President John Dramani Mahama, has dissolved the secretariat effective May 1, while the Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dominic Ayine, has been instructed to take steps to dissolve the Board of Trustees.
“These findings rock the very foundation of the project and the work of the Secretariat,” Kwakye Ofosu stated.
The minister promised t immediately after the presser, he will make the audit report, which covered the Secretariat’s operations from December 31, 2021, to December 31, 2023, available to the general public.
“These findings rock the very foundation of the project and the work of the Secretariat,” Kwakye Ofosu.
The Attorney General has been directed to take legal steps to ensure the dissolution of the Board of Trustees. We will put it out in various portal so that the public can have access,” Kwakye Ofosu noted.
Also, the Auditor General (A-G) has also been ordered to conduct a forensic audit into the report, following which anyone found to have committed any crime will be charged by the state to face prosecution.
For instance, per the report, there are so many infractions and payments like contraction and payments to the Nehemiah Group, one of the key foreign consultants engaged and Kubik Maltbie to do coordination and oversight during the Phase 1, leading to the latter being paid USD 592,500. In other words, the two companies were contracted to do the same work to which one allegedly did the work but the other did not but were paid.
Although the original contract signed on March 9, 2020 was for a one-year term and subject to renewal by mutual agreement, no official renewal was carried out but payments continued to the group, amounting to USD 523,521.03, a clear breach of contract governance protocols.
Additionally, the Nehemiah Group reportedly received USD 110,630.56 to organise fundraising events in Houston and New York in the US, but there were no tangible outcomes per the audit with respect to donations.
“This figure represents approximately 87% of the total USD 675,000 paid to The Nehemiah Group over the same period,” he stated. “It indicates a clear case of paying two entities for the same work, with no clarity on who was actually doing the work and who may have taken government money unjustifiably.
This raises serious concerns about the prudence of expenditure and the absence of performance-based accountability,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu said.
He said the audit by the AG will at the end of the day show the full extent of the issues.
“After the forensic audit, decisive action will be taken regarding any impropriety determined and the future of the project itself,” he said.
He also debunked claims by the dissolved secretariat the project site was going to be converted into
“President Mahama has not taken any such decision. What it is, is that the 24-hour Secretariat received a proposal from an entity regarding what they believe the Secretariat can be used for.
But no such decision has been taken by President Mahama on the subject,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu said in response to a journalist.
The fate of the project he added would only be determined after the completion of a forensic audit into the project and the activities of the now-dissolved Secretariat.
“As I indicated, once the forensic audit comes in and all the matters at play are clearly understood, a firm decision will be taken on the future of the site,” he said.
As at the time of holding the press conference, the project sometimes referred to by critics as the “biggest swimming pool” is still sitting at the site collecting rain water.
By Gifty Boateng