Ghana’s newly sworn-in President John Mahama said Monday that he would be looking into spendings on the proposed $400m national cathedral, which Ghanaians have raised an alarm concerning its financing and pace of work done.
The project muted by former President Nana Akufo-Ado in 2016 was meant to be privately funded, but so far the government has spent $58m, yet the building is yet to get off the foundation prompting a national outcry.
“The commission on human rights and administrative justice (CHRAJ) directed government to audit the project and investigate any misuse of public funds. We would soon activate such an investigation into the project, “Mahama said:
“We can reach a more reasonable figure for achieving such a project and together we can raise the funding for it.
“Such a reconsideration of this project might even include changing the current site that was chosen for the project. The project must be achieved at a reasonable cost, in the current circumstances that Ghana is going through, it makes no sense to achieve a project at a whopping sum of $400m.”
On Monday, new Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson suggested public money would no longer be used for the project, telling a parliamentary committee that the government “would work to cut off wasteful expenditure and the national cathedral project is one of them”.
The building has also sparked concern among senior clergymen involved with the project.
Five members of the cathedral’s board of trustees have resigned amid calls for the government to halt the project and conduct an audit.
