President John Dramani Mahama says his government is considering moving the site of the infamous National Cathedral project as part of a comprehensive review of the construction.
In an address at the National Prayer and Thanksgiving Service in Accra on Sunday, he said such a consideration could happen at a future date.
Raising longstanding concerns about the value of the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration’s priority project, President Mahama said a review was needed in order to encourage collective funding for the construction.
“I believe we can reach a more reasonable figure for achieving such a project and together we can raise the funding for it. Such a reconsideration for this project might even include changing the site that was chosen for the project,” he said to cheers at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
One of the major criticisms of the project has been the demolition and relocation of several facilities and buildings located at the current site.
These establishments included bungalows occupied by senior judges, a training school belonging to the judiciary, the country’s main passport issuing office, a scholarship secretariat, a diplomat’s residence, a luxury apartment and a host of private businesses.
The president, who did not close the door completely to the continuation of the National Cathedral project, added that he would abide the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) report which called for an audit into the entire project.
Released on November 25 last year, the CHRAJ report was a response to Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who had called on the commission to probe the construction and officials in charge of it.
Among other findings, CHRAJ faulted the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral for breaching procurement laws and due process in awarding the contract for the construction.
President Mahama pledged his commitment to pursuing investigations into the expensive project.
“Government is enjoined to follow this directive,” he said at the gathering. “And we will soon activate such an investigation into the project.”
