‘If we all pay GH¢1,000 each, we should be able to construct National Cathedral’ — Mahama tells Christians

President John Dramani Mahama has challenged Ghana’s Christian community to raise funds for the completion of the stalled National Cathedral, insisting that the project should not be financed with taxpayers’ money.

According to him, if members of the Christian community contributed GH¢1,000 each, they would have sufficient resources to construct the cathedral.

“How many Christians are in this country? If we all pay a thousand cedis each, we should be able to construct a National Cathedral,” President Mahama said during a citizens’ engagement in Wa on Saturday, September 12, 2026.

The President said he supported the idea of a national cathedral as a practising Christian but maintained that the project, initiated under the previous administration, could not be considered an official state policy.

He explained that the cathedral was started as a personal commitment by the former President and should therefore be treated differently from other government initiatives he had agreed to continue.

“My second problem was that we shouldn't use taxpayers' money,” he said.

President Mahama cited the construction of the National Mosque as an example of a major religious project completed without direct government funding. He said Ghana’s Muslim community received assistance from a Turkish Muslim non-governmental organisation to build the mosque.

He also questioned the suitability of the cathedral’s proposed location in central Accra, noting that the area already accommodated key public institutions and facilities, including Parliament, the International Conference Centre, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital and the National Theatre.

The concentration of these facilities, he said, meant that constructing the cathedral at the location would “constrict” the available space.

President Mahama further expressed concern over the demolition of several properties to make way for the project. These included 10 judges’ residences, the residence of the Malian ambassador, the old passport office and other buildings.

He noted that the Malian ambassador’s residence had still not been replaced.

On the financial aspect of the project, the President disclosed that nearly $90 million had already been spent on the National Cathedral.

He said a forensic audit of the expenditure had been completed and submitted to the Attorney-General.

President Mahama added that he planned to provide the Christian Council of Ghana with a copy of the report so that it could scrutinise how the funds were utilised and determine whether further corrective measures were necessary.