National Cathedral: Gov’t moves to dissolve Board of Trustees, Secretariat remains scrapped

The government has announced firm steps toward the dissolution of the Board of Trustees overseeing the controversial National Cathedral project.

This follows the uncovering of serious financial and governance irregularities in an independent audit report by Deloitte and Touche.

At a press briefing held at the Jubilee House on Friday, Government Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu disclosed that President John Mahama has already dissolved the National Cathedral Secretariat, effective May 1, 2025, and legal measures are now being pursued to formally dissolve the Board of Trustees.

“These findings rock the very foundation of the project and the work of the Secretariat,” Kwakye Ofosu stated, referring to the contents of the audit, which highlighted disturbing issues ranging from unsupported expenditures, procurement breaches, and discrepancies in contract values to questionable payments involving international contractors and consultants.

The audit, which covered the Secretariat’s operations from December 31, 2021, to December 31, 2023, revealed that total payments and commitments related to the project stand at $97 million, far exceeding earlier public estimates. Of this, $39 million remains outstanding to the contractor, despite work having stalled at the site for years.

Mr Kwakye Ofosu emphasised that while the Deloitte audit exposes “deep cracks,” it does not cover the full scope of the Secretariat’s operations or the entire project. Consequently, the Auditor-General has been tasked with conducting a forensic audit to further probe the project and uncover any additional improprieties.

He further indicated that the Attorney-General is working on terminating the project’s contract to halt further financial losses to the state.

“After the forensic audit, decisive action will be taken regarding any impropriety determined and the future of the project itself,” he said.