President John Mahama has once again promised that anyone found to have embezzled state funds in the $97 million used to dig the pit for the National Cathedral will be prosecuted.
Speaking during a sod-cutting ceremony for the Sunayi-Atronie-Achrensua project on Sunday, December 21, 2025, President Mahama stated that the investigations into the National Cathedral have not been abandoned.
President Mahama, at the sod-cutting, stated, “The $97 million used to dig the pit for the National Cathedral will be thoroughly scrutinised. We have requested the Auditor-General to conduct a forensic audit to expose any wrongdoing.
Anyone found to have embezzled state funds will face the law, so we have not abandoned the matter; investigations are ongoing.”
Earlier, President Mahama had told the Christian Council it is excessive at this time to spend 400 million dollars on a National cathedral.
According to John Mahama, the 400 million cost for the National Cathedral is excessive, citing that Nigeria built an ecumenical centre at $40 million.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Christian Council of Ghana to the Jubilee House on November 18, 2025, John Mahama stated, “I believe that at this time and age, with all the problems we have, $400 million to build a cathedral is excessive. I know Nigeria have built an ecumenical centre and I’ve been there.
It’s a decent, beautiful place, and they built it for $40 million. And so, maybe some of the things are excessive, you know. Let’s find somewhere, all of us, on the National Day of Thanksgiving and worship. We can all go there and worship God and thank him for what he has done for us,” he said.
President John Mahama further added that after the forensic audit into the National Cathedral, he will engage the Christian community to see how Ghana can build a place that is decent for worship.
“When that forensic audit is over, our intention is to have a broad-based consultation with the Christian community to see how we can build a place that is decent for us to worship. But apart from that, make it a centre where people can come and, I mean, look at its architecture and all that and find that Christ, you know, has a place in our hearts, in our nation. And so, when the time comes, we’ll do that consultation and we’ll decide together how we want to go forward,” he added.
Meanwhile, David Adjaye, the internationally acclaimed architect and designer of the National Cathedral, has said the project is not dead but feels the John Mahama administration might just want to trash it.
He asserted that the Mahama administration wants to understand the National Cathedral project through a forensic examination, so it is just on pause.
Speaking during a podcast interview with renowned British journalist Tim Abrahams, David Adjaye detailed, “No, it’s not dead. It is funny. I keep thinking this administration might just want to trash it, but I think there was a lot of misunderstanding in the beginning. Because the process was private in a way — it was government, but it was private. So I think there’s a sense with this administration of really understanding what is going on. It may not be a priority, but it is certainly …
“It is definitely a national project. Love or hate it, there’s something about this project which activates a sense of urgency about the infrastructure that’s required,” he added.
David Adjaye added, “We know this administration is careful, making sure that they have done their forensic examination. So that they can say whether they think there were bad practices or good practices.
“So far, it has passed its tests, but we know they’re still carrying on with forensic testing. But in the meantime, it’s on pause. It is just on pause,” he reiterated.