Mahama dissolves National Cathedral Board nearly two years after CHRAJ recommended prosecution

• President Mahama has dissolved the National Cathedral Board of Trustees with immediate effect.

• The move follows CHRAJ findings on procurement breaches linked to the project.

• Trustees have been directed to hand over the project site to the government by October 31, 2026.

The decision was communicated in a letter dated September 18, 2026, and signed by the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga.

The trustees have been directed to liaise with the project consultant and formally hand over the National Cathedral project site to the Ministry by October 31, 2026.

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The Ministry said the handover will allow the government to determine the future of the project.

The letter, addressed to the chairman and members of the board, stated: “His Excellency the President has directed the dissolution of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana Project with immediate effect.”

Mr Ayariga, on behalf of President Mahama, also thanked the trustees for their service and commitment to promoting the Christian faith in Ghana.

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The board was chaired by Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah.

The dissolution comes as the government considers its next steps for the long-running project, which was initiated under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The former president broke ground for the project in March 2017. The proposed $450 million facility was planned for a 3.5-hectare site near Parliament House and was designed to include a 5,000-seat auditorium, chapels, a baptistery, a house of music, a Bible museum and an art gallery.

Also Read: CHRAJ calls for forensic audit, prosecution of National Cathedral Board

The project was initially expected to be commissioned on March 6, 2024, but construction delays and concerns over its financing and procurement processes prevented completion.

The development also follows findings by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) concerning the project.

CHRAJ investigated a petition filed by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in January 2023 over the procurement process and alleged conflict of interest.

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In its report, the Commission found that the $312 million contract awarded to Ribade Company Limited for the construction of the cathedral was contrary to mandatory provisions of the Public Procurement Act.

CHRAJ subsequently recommended further investigation and possible prosecution of the Board of Trustees over the procurement breaches.

The Commission also reported that more than GH¢225 million had been spent on the project as of May 31, 2022.

With the board now dissolved, attention shifts to the government’s decision on the future of the National Cathedral project.

Also Read: I left Cathedral Board because I couldn’t make a difference – Duncan-Williams

1. Chairperson: Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah – Former Chairman of the Church of Pentecost

2. Vice Chairman: Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle – Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop of Cape Coast

3. Most Rev. Bishop Justice Ofei Akrofi – Former Anglican Archbishop Emeritus

4. Most Rev. T. K. Awotwi Pratt – Former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church

5. Rt. Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey – Former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church

6. Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee – Executive Director of Salt and Light Ministries

7. Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng – Founder of Power Chapel Worldwide

8. Rev. Dr. Frimpong Manso – General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God

9. Kingsley Ofosu Ntiamoah – Executive Director of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board