ELS; MBN360 NEWS
Ghana National Cathedral
Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana and Political Analyst, Dr Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, has called for greater clarity following President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to dissolve the National Cathedral Board of Trustees. The latest directive requires the trustees to formally hand over the project site to the Ministry by October 31, 2026, to allow government to determine its future.
The Political Analyst noted that the decision brings the project back to the substantive question of what government intends to do with the site and the stalled construction. He explained that the current administration now has an opportunity to communicate a clear position on whether the project will continue, change form or be discontinued.
Dr Zaato argued that the National Cathedral has featured prominently in political debate before and after the 2024 elections. He therefore believes the government owes citizens a clear explanation of the significance of the latest decision and its intended consequences for the project.
“The question then the government has to actually tell Ghanaians is that we need to be told more than this,” Dr Zaato stated. He indicated that the dissolution alone does not resolve the wider questions surrounding the project, particularly its future use and the government’s position on its completion.
The Lecturer also returned to the corruption allegations that surrounded the National Cathedral debate during the previous administration. He argued that government must clearly establish what investigations have found about alleged corruption before moving the public discussion to the project’s next phase.
Dr Zaato observed that the government’s earlier political arguments about the project created expectations that investigations would establish whether corrupt acts occurred. He therefore believes citizens deserve a definitive account of the findings and any action arising from them.
At the same time, he acknowledged that questions of national priority can produce different political positions. The Political Analyst explained that government ultimately has to determine what it considers to be in the national interest while communicating the reasoning behind such decisions.
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The latest handover order follows the government’s earlier closure of the National Cathedral Secretariat and its move to initiate processes concerning the Board of Trustees after the Deloitte audit. The audit identified financial irregularities and procurement breaches, while government subsequently ordered a forensic audit into the project’s wider operations.
Dr Zaato consequently believes the latest development should lead to a clear policy direction. He stressed that Ghanaians need to know what happens to the project after the board’s dissolution and what role, if any, the state intends to play in its future.
One Year Delay Demands Clear Government Explanation On Cathedral
The Political Analyst, Dr Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, also questioned why it took government about a year to complete the process of dissolving the National Cathedral Board of Trustees. He argued that the delay requires an explanation because the project remained a major subject of public and political discussion during the period.
The Lecturer pointed to the vetting of Mahama Ayariga as an important moment in the renewed public discussion about the project. He noted that Honourable Ayariga publicly expressed support for the National Cathedral and indicated that he would seek to organise Christendom around its completion if given the opportunity.
According to Dr Zaato, that development demonstrated that there has been continuing discussions about the project beyond the formal actions already taken by government. He argued that the administration should therefore communicate its position openly instead of allowing uncertainty to persist.
“Ordinary Ghanaians deserve a response from the government for the one year,” Dr Zaato emphasised. He explained that citizens were entitled to know why the process took that length of time and whether there were institutional or legal considerations behind the delay.
The Political Analyst further linked the issue to the need for effective government communication on major national projects. He recalled that limited communication from the previous administration contributed to perceptions that the National Cathedral was closely associated with former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Dr Zaato believes the current administration has an opportunity to remove that ambiguity by clearly defining the status of the project. He argued that government should explain whether state resources will be committed, whether Christendom will remain involved and what framework would guide any future construction.
The Lecturer stressed that such clarity would help distinguish the project’s religious character from the question of public financing. He noted that citizens should understand whether government regards the Cathedral as a national project and, if so, the basis for continued state involvement.
