The National Cathedral of Ghana, a $400 million building in Accra that is being designed by architect David Adjaye‘s firm, will reportedly be investigated after concerns were raised about its cost.
The cathedral had been the source of controversy in Ghana well before Adjaye was accused of sexual misconduct in 2023. Adjaye has categorically denied those claims of misconduct, which were first reported by the Financial Times.
His firm, Adjaye Associates, is currently at work on a building for the Studio Museum in Harlem. Prior to the claims of misconduct, Adjaye was one of the most celebrated architects in the world. Among his most acclaimed projects is the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
The Ghanaian British architect first revealed designs for the National Cathedral of Ghana in 2018. In the years since, the cathedral has been fiercely debated among Ghanaian politicians, who have raised questions about its funding. In 2022, one Ghanaian politician even implored Adjaye to personally return the $21.4 million fee his firm received for the project.
Earlier this month, the BBC reported that President John Mahama will seek an investigation of the cathedral, the construction for which appears to be mostly stalled, according to this article. The National Cathedral of Ghana has previously denied that construction had reached a standstill. In 2023, Paul Okopu-Mensah, the project’s executive director, said that “the idea that we just took funds and dug a hole is simply mischievous.”
Mahama reportedly said that Ghana’s Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice had recommended an audit into the building and inquiry into “any misuse of public funds.” The BBC also reported that Cassiel Ato Forson, the Ghanaian finance minister, said that public funds will no longer be used to support the cathedral.
It appears that the cathedral may not be nixed entirely, however, even as some politicians have urged Mahama to end it altogether. “We can reach a more reasonable figure for achieving such a project and together we can raise the funding for it,” he reportedly said.
Adjaye Associates declined to comment. ARTnews was unable to reach a representative for the National Cathedral of Ghana.