Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dr Dominic Ayine has reignited debate over spending on the National Cathedral, arguing that funds committed to the controversial project could have been channelled into completing some of the unfinished Agenda 111 hospitals across the country.
He questioned the prioritisation of substantial public resources for the Cathedral at a time when critical health infrastructure remained incomplete and communities continued to require improved access to healthcare.
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.
His comments followed his receipt of a report prepared by audit and consulting firm PwC on expenditure related to the National Cathedral project.
According to the Attorney General, the report was presented to him on Friday, August 7, and its findings raised questions about whether resources committed to the project could have been better deployed to address pressing national development needs.
“The monies spent on the National Cathedral from that report could have been used to complete some Agenda 111 hospitals,” Dr Ayine said.
He argued that redirecting some of the expenditure towards health infrastructure could have helped bring unfinished hospitals into operation and expanded access to healthcare.
Ayine Questions Cathedral Priority
Dr Ayine also criticised the manner in which the National Cathedral project was conceived and implemented, questioning the decision to prioritise it amid competing demands for limited public resources.
“You don’t build a house of God in the manner in which they went about it,” he said.
The National Cathedral was initiated under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a religious and national monument.
The project, however, became the subject of intense public debate over its financing, expenditure, stalled construction and management of funds.
Dr Ayine’s latest comments bring the opportunity cost of the project back into focus, particularly against the backdrop of unfinished healthcare facilities.
Focus Shifts to Healthcare
The Attorney General linked the issue to the government’s push to improve access to healthcare through the Free Primary Health Care programme.
He stressed the need for public resources to be directed towards interventions that respond to the immediate needs of citizens, particularly essential services such as healthcare.
Agenda 111 was introduced by the previous Akufo-Addo administration to expand health infrastructure by constructing hospitals in districts without adequate facilities.
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Several of the projects, however, were yet to be completed and operationalised by the time the administration left office.
Dr Ayine maintained that some of the resources spent on the National Cathedral could have accelerated the completion of those facilities and strengthened healthcare delivery.
His remarks are expected to intensify scrutiny of the National Cathedral expenditure as the government considers the findings of the PwC report and the future of the project.
