Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has slammed the expenditure on Ghana’s National Cathedral project, arguing that the funds committed to the initiative could have been used to complete some of the stalled Agenda 111 hospitals across the country.
Dr Ayine made the remarks on Thursday, August 13, 2026, during the district launch of the Free Primary Health Care programme in the Bolga East Constituency of the Upper East Region.
The Attorney General questioned the manner in which the National Cathedral project was initiated and implemented, particularly the resources committed to its construction.
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He disclosed that a report prepared by audit and consulting firm PwC on the National Cathedral had been presented to him on Friday, August 7.
According to Dr Ayine, the findings contained in the report indicated that the resources spent on the project could have been redirected towards other pressing national priorities, including healthcare infrastructure.
“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,” he said.
Dr Ayine further criticised the approach adopted in developing the National Cathedral, saying the construction of a religious landmark should not have been pursued in a manner that placed pressure on public resources.
“You don’t build a house of God in the manner in which they went about it,” he added.
The National Cathedral was initiated under the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a major religious and national landmark.
However, the project has remained the subject of intense public debate, particularly over its financing, expenditure, construction progress and the use of public funds.
Its implementation has also come under increased scrutiny amid Ghana’s economic difficulties and competing demands for government investment in critical sectors, including healthcare, education and infrastructure.
Dr Ayine made the comments while highlighting the importance of directing public resources towards programmes that directly improve access to essential healthcare services.
The launch of the Free Primary Health Care programme in Bolga East formed part of efforts to expand access to basic healthcare, particularly for communities that face challenges in accessing medical services.
The Attorney General’s comments placed the National Cathedral expenditure within a broader debate over government spending priorities and the need to ensure that limited public resources are channelled towards projects with significant social impact.
Agenda 111 hospitals project, launched by the Akufo-Addo administration, was designed to construct hospitals in districts across Ghana that lacked adequate healthcare facilities.
Several of the projects have faced delays, funding challenges and criticism over their implementation, making the completion of stalled facilities a recurring issue in Ghana’s healthcare infrastructure debate.