Government Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu has revealed a significant financial anomaly in the National Cathedral project, involving a GHS 4.9 million discrepancy in payments made to Sir David Adjaye & Associates Ltd., the architectural firm commissioned to design the project.
Addressing journalists at a press briefing on Friday, July 18, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said the latest audit report exposes inconsistencies between the government’s own records and the amounts the firm claims it received.
“The audit report reveals troubling discrepancies in consultancy fees paid to Sir David Adjaye & Associates Ltd. for the mobilisation and design of the National Cathedral of Ghana,” he stated.
According to him, the Office of the President accounts for a total payment of GHS 113,040,564.86 to the firm. However, Sir David Adjaye & Associates Ltd. insists it received GHS 117,972,656.00 — leaving a difference of GHS 4,932,091.14 unaccounted for.
Providing a detailed breakdown, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu noted that the Ministry of Finance disbursed GHS 87,938,750.00 between September 26, 2018, and November 25, 2019. Additional payments from the Office of the President included GHS 29,664,845.29 on February 19, 2021, and GHS 369,060.71 on March 5, 2021 — bringing the presidency’s contribution to GHS 30,033,906.00.
The combined figure of GHS 117,972,656.00 tallies with what the firm claims to have received. Yet the government’s official accounting falls short of that amount, raising serious questions about where the nearly GHS 5 million difference went.
The disclosure adds another layer to growing concerns over the financial management of the controversial project. It comes just a day after President John Dramani Mahama ordered a forensic audit into the National Cathedral’s finances and directed the Attorney-General to initiate steps to lawfully terminate the project’s contract.
The emerging gap in consultancy payments now forms part of a broader investigation aimed at ensuring accountability and halting any further financial hemorrhage.
