The Board of the National Cathedral of Ghana has expressed disappointment following President John Mahama’s reported directive for its dissolution, describing the move as premature and lacking a basis in any formal findings of wrongdoing.
In a statement issued on July 18 and signed by Executive Director Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, the Board raised concerns over a recent press conference held by the Minister for Government Communications, noting that the presentation was incomplete and potentially misleading.
According to the Board, the Minister focused primarily on queries raised in a Management Letter rather than the full audit reports for the years 2020 to 2023.
“This is rather strange, The press conference was skewed towards queries in the Management letter, totally disregarding the detailed responses of the Board,” the statement read.
The Board emphasized that the Management Letter, which contains both the audit queries and the Board’s responses, was already in the possession of the Minister, suggesting a deliberate omission of context.
Most significantly, the Board expressed deep concern over President Mahama’s directive to the Attorney General to initiate steps toward dissolving the Board.
They noted that this move comes despite ongoing investigations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), and without any conclusive findings of misconduct.
“This is particularly troubling,” the Board noted, “given that, acting on the President’s directive, the Board was actively engaged in discussions with the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs on the future of the project.”
The Board reaffirmed its commitment to the vision of a National Cathedral, calling it a critical piece of national infrastructure despite the controversy and challenges surrounding the project.
“We remain committed to the vision of a National Cathedral for the Nation,” the statement concluded.
The National Cathedral project, announced in 2017, has faced mounting criticism over issues of transparency, accountability, and financing. The latest developments signal growing tensions between the current administration and the project’s leadership.