Behind a hoarding near Parliament House in Accra lies a large excavated pit. It was supposed to become the National Cathedral of Ghana.
President Nana Akufo-Addo announced the project in his first term, describing it as a pledge he had made to God to give thanks for his election victory in 2016. The cathedral would be an interdenominational place of worship and a venue for state religious events such as funerals and thanksgiving services.
The design
The Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye, known for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, produced the design. It showed a sweeping roof inspired by traditional forms, with a large auditorium, chapels, a Bible museum and gardens. The model drew admiration from architects.
Land was cleared on a site in the Ridge area near Parliament, which required the demolition of residences and public buildings on the plot, including homes for judges. The sod cutting took place on 5 March 2020.
The money
The government first said the cathedral would be funded mainly by private donations. It later became clear that public money had been used for early works, and the amount spent became a major controversy. Opposition MPs, led by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, pressed the government in Parliament and in the media over payments and over how the board of trustees was run. Ablakwa said in 2023 that more than 58 million dollars of public money had gone into the project.
Construction slowed and then effectively stopped, leaving the pit fenced off in the middle of the capital. Adjaye himself faced separate allegations of sexual misconduct in 2023, which he denied, and he stepped back from several projects.
After 2025
When John Mahama returned to power in January 2025, his government questioned the spending and announced investigations into the project. The future of the site remains uncertain, and proposals have ranged from completing a smaller version to using the land for something else entirely.
What the pit says
Many Ghanaian Christians liked the idea of a national place of worship. The strongest objections were about cost and timing, as the country entered an economic crisis in 2022 and went to the International Monetary Fund for a bailout.
The pit has since become shorthand for projects announced with ceremony and left unfinished. Whatever is built there next, Accra will remember the hole in the ground that cost more than many finished schools.
