National Cathedral was Akufo-Addo’s personal pledge, not national policy- Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has described the National Cathedral project as a personal pledge made by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, insisting that it was not a national policy that his administration was constitutionally bound to continue.

According to President Mahama, although he made a commitment to continue policies and projects inherited from the previous administration where they serve the interest of Ghanaians, he considers the National Cathedral different because of the circumstances under which it was initiated.

“The only one is the National Cathedral. But that was not a national policy. It was a personal pledge by the former president,” President Mahama said.

He made the remarks during a community engagement in Wa as part of his two-day Resetting Ghana Tour of the Upper West Region.

President Mahama stressed that he has nothing against the construction of a National Cathedral, noting that he is a Christian and supports the idea in principle.

However, he said concerns over the location of the project and the use of taxpayers’ money had influenced his position on the project.

“My principle has always been that the location has been a problem,” he said, explaining that the area already hosts major national facilities, including Parliament, the Accra International Conference Centre, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital and the National Theatre.

He said adding another major facility to the area would create congestion and restrict the use of the surrounding spaces, particularly during major national ceremonies.

President Mahama also criticised the demolition of several properties to make way for the project, including judges’ residences, the residence of the Malian Ambassador and the old passport office.

“We broke 10 judges’ residences. We broke the Malian Ambassador’s residence. Up to now, we’ve not replaced it,” he said.

His second major concern, he explained, was the use of public funds to finance the project.

President Mahama argued that Christians across Ghana and Christian organisations both locally and abroad could mobilise resources to construct a National Cathedral without relying heavily on taxpayers’ money.

He cited the National Mosque as an example, saying its construction was supported by a Turkish Muslim organisation rather than being financed directly with government funds.

“I’m not against the National Cathedral, and we should clarify that. But we also want transparency in the taxpayers’ money that was put into it, almost $90 million,” he said.

The President disclosed that a forensic audit into the expenditure on the National Cathedral has been completed and is currently with the Attorney General.

He said he would make a copy of the audit available to the Christian Council to enable it to examine the processes surrounding the expenditure and determine whether corrective action is required.

“The forensic audit is ready. It’s with the Attorney General. And I’ll make a copy of it available to the Christian Council so that they can look at the processes of what went into the expenditure of the $90 million,” President Mahama stated.

He further noted that the Constitution already contains a provision requiring successive governments to continue the policies and programmes of previous administrations, but said the implementation of that provision ultimately depends on the commitment of political leaders.

“There’s already in the Constitution a provision that enjoins any successive government to continue the policies and programs of the previous government. It’s there in the Constitution already. But it depends on leadership,” he said.