I built 10 temples, I’m not against national cathedral – Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Christian infrastructure in Ghana, revealing that he has helped construct 10 rural temples for the Assemblies of God Church across the country.
Speaking on Tuesday, November 18, during a courtesy visit by the Christian Council of Ghana to the Jubilee House, President Mahama said, “I am a Christian and I believe that building a house where we can worship God is a good thing. I was one of the chief fundraisers for my own Assemblies of God church building, where I worship at Ring Road. And I built 10 rural temples in 10 villages for the Assemblies of God Church. Of course, I solicited support from other people, and we built them.”
He stated that his faith has consistently guided his contributions to church development and that, as a Christian, he would not oppose national initiatives to construct major religious facilities, including the National Cathedral project.
However, President Mahama argued that the previous administration should have engaged in wider public consultation before initiating such a high-profile and costly undertaking.
“And so, I do believe in building an interdenominational place where we can worship, but it must be done in consultation with all of us. All of us must decide on how we want to do it, what the scope is and how much it should cost,” he told the clergy society.
The National Cathedral of Ghana, planned for Accra, was conceived under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a national place of worship and civic monument to celebrate Ghana’s post-independence identity. Initially publicised with an estimated cost of US$100 million, the project advanced only to preparatory works and site clearance. By late 2022 and into 2024, construction had effectively paused amid public scrutiny, escalating costs, and calls for audits.
In late 2024, CHRAJ recommended a forensic audit and possible prosecution. The Cathedral Board, citing a Deloitte statutory audit up to December 31, 2020, reported no adverse findings and expressed readiness to resume work, pending resolution of governance issues.
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