Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has launched a blistering critique of the National Cathedral project, asserting that public funds expended on it could have been redirected to complete several stalled hospitals under the government’s Agenda 111 initiative. The remarks were delivered during the district launch of the Free Primary Health Care programme in Bolga East Constituency as part of President John Dramani Mahama’s “Resetting Ghana Tour” in the Upper East Region.
Dr Ayine disclosed that a PwC audit on the cathedral project was submitted to his office, and that the financial disclosures contained therein painted a stark contrast between expenditure priorities and pressing social needs. The Attorney General stated that the monies spent on the National Cathedral could have been used to complete some Agenda 111 Hospitals.
“The PwC Report on the National Cathedral was presented to me last Friday. The monies spent on the National Cathedral from that Report could have been used to complete some Agenda 111 Hospitals,” Dr Ayine said. He further questioned the procurement and execution modalities of the religious edifice, adding a moral dimension to his fiscal argument. “You don’t build a house of God in the manner in which they went about it,” he added.
Agenda 111 was conceived as a flagship intervention to construct district and regional hospitals nationwide, aimed at bridging critical gaps in healthcare infrastructure. Several of the facilities remain incomplete amid budgetary constraints and logistical delays, drawing sustained public scrutiny. By juxtaposing the cathedral’s outlay against the health sector’s unmet capital requirements, Dr Ayine framed the debate as one of resource allocation and governance prudence.
The Attorney General’s comments inject fresh impetus into the national conversation on transparency, accountability, and the ethical stewardship of public funds. With the PwC report now in official custody, pressure is mounting for its full publication and for consequential policy action. The government faces growing calls to reconcile symbolic projects with tangible service delivery imperatives, particularly in health where infrastructure deficits directly affect mortality and access.
As the Mahama administration advances its reset agenda, the cathedral expenditure will likely remain a reference point in discussions on fiscal discipline. For now, Dr Ayine’s intervention signals an intent to subject past commitments to rigorous audit and to recalibrate spending toward sectors with immediate welfare impact.
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Author: Korkor Anumu
