The Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral project has pushed back against allegations of procurement breaches and financial irregularities made by the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu. In a statement issued on July 18, the Board said the Minister’s public briefing misrepresented audit findings and ignored their official responses.
At a press conference held at the Jubilee House, the Minister cited audit details showing that renowned architect Sir David Adjaye received over GHS15 million between 2018 and 2019, before his contract was formally approved by the Public Procurement Authority. He described the payment as a violation of procurement laws and part of broader financial mismanagement under the project.
“Between September 2018 and June 2019, a total of GHS15,738,750 was paid to Sir David Adjaye before the contract sum was approved,” Kwakye Ofosu said, adding that this breached the Public Procurement Act.
In response, the Board stated that the Minister’s briefing relied only on a preliminary “management letter” from the audit, while deliberately excluding the full audit reports submitted between 2020 and 2023, as well as the Board’s written responses. They described the presentation as incomplete and misleading.
“The press conference focused mainly on queries in the management letter, totally disregarding the detailed responses of the Board,” the statement said. “This is rather strange.”
More significantly, the Board disclosed that President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Attorney General to take steps to dissolve the Board, despite the fact that no wrongdoing had been established by either the Office of the Special Prosecutor or the National Intelligence Bureau. The Board expressed disappointment, noting they were actively engaging government on the future of the project.
“This is particularly troubling,” the Board noted. “The Board was working with the Ministry of Local Government on the project’s future when the directive came.”
The National Cathedral, launched under the previous administration as a symbol of national unity and faith, has become a focal point of public scrutiny over procurement, accountability, and governance. The latest developments raise new questions about how the project will proceed under the Mahama administration.
Read the statement below:
