Ghana National Cathedral Board Dissolved; Site Due Back by 31 October
GHANA · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —What happened President John Dramani Mahama dissolved the Ghana National Cathedral board and ordered the site handed back by 31 October 2026.
- —The context A 2024 rights commission report urged a forensic audit of the trustees over a US$312 million contract.
- —Why it matters Ghana is unwinding a predecessor’s flagship project, showing foreign investors that state-linked contracts can be reviewed, paused or ended.
- —The catch The letter does not say whether the cathedral will be finished, redesigned, moved or abandoned.
- —Who it affects Foreign residents, investors, suppliers tied to the project, and churches now asked to fund it instead of taxpayers.
- —What comes next The 31 October handover, the Attorney General’s next steps, and a church committee report due within one month.
A week after saying churches, not taxpayers, should pay for the cathedral, the president has removed its trustees and asked for the site back.
President John Dramani Mahama has dissolved the Ghana National Cathedral board with immediate effect. A letter dated 18 September 2026 orders the trustees to hand the project site to a government ministry by 31 October.
What the letter to the Ghana National Cathedral board says
The letter says the president “has directed the dissolution of the Board of Trustees” with immediate effect. Minister Mahama Ayariga signed it on 18 September 2026.
The trustees must liaise with the project consultant and formally hand over the site to his ministry. The deadline is 31 October 2026.
The letter says the handover is needed “to allow government to determine the future of the project”. It does not say what that future will be.
Copies went to the Secretary to the President, the Chief of Staff and the head of the National Cathedral Secretariat. No other instructions were made public.
The board was chaired by Apostle Prof Opoku Onyinah. The minister thanked members “for your commitment to promoting the Christian faith in the country”.
A follow-up to last week’s funding row
The move comes days after Mahama spoke about the cathedral during a citizens’ engagement tour of the Upper West Region. There he said public money should not fund the project.
He called the cathedral a personal pledge to God by former President Nana Akufo-Addo, not national policy. He suggested Christians could each give 1,000 cedis (about US$87 at 18 September 2026 rates).
Mahama also questioned the location. The site sits among government buildings in Accra, and judges’ homes and diplomatic buildings were pulled down to clear it.
The dissolution turns that position into an administrative step. The state is now taking direct control of the site while the churches consider whether they can pay.
How the case built up since 2024
In November 2024, Ghana’s Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) reported on the project. It recommended a forensic audit and possible prosecution of the Board of Trustees over procurement breaches.
CHRAJ found that a US$312 million construction contract with Ribade Company Limited went against mandatory provisions of Ghana’s Public Procurement Act. It urged further investigation of the trustees.
On 18 July 2025, the presidency said the National Cathedral Secretariat was dissolved with effect from 1 May 2025. It also said legal processes had begun to disband the board.
The presidency also asked the Auditor-General to carry out a full forensic audit. It told the Attorney General to take legal steps to end the project contract.
The presidency also asked the Auditor-General to carry out a full forensic audit. The 18 September 2026 letter now completes the break with the old board.
The 18 September 2026 letter now completes the break with the old board. It comes nearly two years after the CHRAJ report.
The US$90 million question
Mahama said this month that the forensic audit is finished and with the Attorney General. He said it looks at how about US$90 million was spent.
He promised to give a copy to the Christian Council of Ghana so it can review the spending. The report itself has not been published.
The US$90 million figure is the president’s own estimate. No detailed, published breakdown of the project’s total cost has been released.
What the churches are doing
On 11 September 2026, Christian Council chairman Rev Enoch Nii Narh Thompson announced a technical committee on the cathedral. It will study funding, location and other practical questions.
The committee has one month to finish its work. Its findings are due to go to Minister Ayariga and then to the president for a decision.
That timetable runs close to the 31 October handover date. Both processes could shape what happens to the site next.
Why this matters to expats and investors
For foreign residents and investors in Ghana, the case shows how a new government can unwind a predecessor’s flagship project. Contracts tied to such projects can be reviewed, paused or ended.
Firms and suppliers linked to the cathedral should watch the Attorney General’s next steps and the handover. The site sits in central Accra, among government buildings, so its future also affects the capital’s layout.
More broadly, the government is signalling spending discipline after Ghana’s recent debt crisis. It wants private or faith-based money, not the budget, to carry projects like this.
What is still not known
The government has not said whether the cathedral will be finished, redesigned, moved or abandoned. The trustees have not publicly responded to the letter.
It is also not known whether the Attorney General will bring charges, or when the forensic audit will be released.
Nor is it clear who will pay to secure the partly built site after 31 October. The church committee’s report and the handover are the next milestones to watch.
More: Ghana news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Who dissolved the Ghana National Cathedral board?
President John Dramani Mahama ordered it on 18 September 2026. Minister Mahama Ayariga signed the letter.
When must the trustees hand over the site?
By 31 October 2026, to the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, working with the project consultant.
Will the National Cathedral still be built?
That is not decided. The government says the handover will let it determine the project’s future, and the Christian Council is studying funding options.
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Sources: Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs letter, 18 September 2026; Presidency of Ghana statement, 18 July 2025; Christian Council of Ghana; MyJoyOnline; Citi Newsroom; Graphic Online.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief