President John Dramani Mahama has decreed the immediate dissolution of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana Project, effectively terminating its oversight responsibilities over the embattled national edifice.

The presidential directive is encapsulated in a formal correspondence dated September 18, 2026, and executed by the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Mahama Ayariga.

In the letter addressed to the Chairman and members of the Board, the Minister conveyed in unequivocal terms: “His Excellency the President has directed the dissolution of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana Project with immediate effect.”

Following the dissolution, the trustees have been mandated to liaise with the project consultant and ensure a formal handover of the National Cathedral project site to the Ministry no later than October 31, 2026.

The Ministry emphasized that the handover is indispensable “to allow Government to determine the future of the project.”

The communication was addressed to the Board under the chairmanship of Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah, with copies dispatched to the Secretary to the President, the Chief of Staff at Jubilee House, the Deputy Minister and Chief Director of the Ministry, as well as the Executive Director of the National Cathedral of Ghana Secretariat.

On behalf of President Mahama, Mr. Ayariga conveyed Government’s gratitude to the trustees for their dedicated service, remarking, “I wish to thank you for your commitment to promoting the Christian faith in the country.”

Government is now poised to determine the subsequent trajectory for the National Cathedral project after the formal transfer of the site.

Background

This latest development follows a searing audit revelation. On July 18, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama ordered the dissolution of the National Cathedral Secretariat and set in motion legal processes for the disbandment of its Board of Trustees. The directives were made public by the Minister for Government Communications, Mr. Felix Kwakye Ofosu, who indicated that the Secretariat stood dissolved effective May 1, 2025.

The action was occasioned by a comprehensive audit undertaken by Deloitte and Touche into the operations of the National Cathedral Secretariat for the period 2021 to 2023, which uncovered a litany of financial improprieties, procurement breaches, and a “general lack of due process.” The Minister observed that the findings “rock the very foundation of the project and the work of the Secretariat and raise serious questions about the use of public funds.”

Beyond the immediate dissolutions, Government is instituting far-reaching measures to redress the pervasive infractions. The Minister disclosed that the full Deloitte and Touche audit report will be published to guarantee transparency.

The Auditor-General has been tasked to commission a thorough forensic audit into the operations of the project.

The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice has been directed to initiate lawful steps to terminate the contract for the National Cathedral project, a resolute intervention intended at “preventing further costs and losses to the state.”

The Minister affirmed that “decisive action will be taken regarding any impropriety determined and the future of the project itself” upon conclusion of the forensic audit, thereby signalling a potential re-evaluation or outright discontinuation of the controversial project.