The government will not spend “one single cedi” on the National Cathedral, the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has said.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Jubilee House in Accra on Monday [October 5, 2026], Mr Ayariga said the decision reflects President John Dramani Mahama’s position that the state could no longer finance the project which had been abandoned before this government took over office in January 2025.
“Government is not going to put one single cedi in any further construction work at the National Cathedral site, so no government money is going into the construction of a National Cathedral,” he said.
Board dissolved
Mr Ayariga said members of the Board of Trustees, set up to oversee construction, had been formally notified of its dissolution.
With no public funds going into the project, he explained, the board was no longer relevant as an agency of government.
Site reverts to state
The minister said at the press briefing dubbed "Government Accountability Series" that the contractor had been directed to formally hand over the site to the ministry, on the government’s position that the property belongs to the state.
The ministry will retain control until a decision is made on the project’s future.
Audit to determine next steps
Mr Ayariga said what happens next depends on the Attorney-General’s review of a forensic audit into spending on the project under the past administration.
“After the Attorney General has reviewed the audit, and based on the Attorney General’s advice, we would know what the next steps are,” he said.
Background
The National Cathedral was initiated under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a major national religious infrastructure project, with state support for its construction. Its financing, expenditure and progress have since drawn significant public debate.
President Mahama has maintained that construction should not depend on public funds. He has suggested that churches and other religious bodies interested in the project could raise the money to complete it.
