Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has taken a swipe at former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, calling for him to be held accountable over the National Cathedral project.
According to Gbande, Akufo-Addo should be prosecuted for what he described as a fraudulent and scandalous implementation of the cathedral, which has consumed millions of dollars in public funds without yielding any results.
“Right now, what do we do with the pit? Nana Addo should be standing trial for that. His dream to build a cathedral was implemented in a fictitious and fraudulent way,” Mr. Gbande stated on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem.
He insisted that the NDC never opposed the idea of a cathedral but rather the questionable handling and lack of transparency surrounding its execution.
“The NDC never bastardised the National Cathedral. Former President Akufo-Addo mentioned God, but when they started the implementation, you didn’t need anybody to tell you it was a scandal. They spent $57 million, and all they left was a pit. Do you think in good conscience that it is not a scandal? So that was what we criticised,” he said.
Mr. Gbande also questioned the location of the project, expressing regret over the demolition of key state buildings in Accra’s central business district to make way for the facility.
“We also had issues with the siting of the cathedral. They demolished a lot of big and important buildings to make way for the cathedral in the central heart of the city when they could have taken it to Akuapem, Ada, or any other part of the country to drive development,” he added.
The National Cathedral project was launched in 2017 and was expected to be commissioned on March 6, 2024, during the second term of former President Akufo-Addo. It was billed as a monumental Christian worship centre and a national symbol of Ghana’s religious heritage, with plans to include a large sanctuary, museum, and facilities for conferences and religious events.
However, the project has been dogged by controversy over its financing, particularly amid Ghana’s economic challenges. Critics have argued that the over $58 million already spent could have been better used to address critical needs in education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
In May 2025, former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia acknowledged that the uncompleted National Cathedral project significantly undermined public trust and became a major source of voter discontent.
Meanwhile, the NDC under former President John Mahama has proposed converting the stalled project into a National Cultural Convention Centre. Despite this, the National Cathedral Secretariat insists the original vision remains intact and is still being pursued.
Listen to Mr. Gbande in the audio attached above:
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