The Executive Director of the National Cathedral Secretariat, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, has stated that the National Cathedral is a state-owned company limited by guarantee with the Ghana Museums Board, a government agency, as its sole member.
In a second release to the press in recent times to address issues emanating from the USD 350 million project, Dr. Opoku Mensah said that he sought clarification from the Attorney General on the legal status of the Cathedral via an official letter dated July 29th, 2021.
Referring to the Attorney General’s Response dated January 6, 2022, he indicated that the incorporation documents of the entity suggested it is a company limited by guarantee, citing Section 8 (1) of the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 922), which stated as follows:
“8(1). A company limited by guarantees shall not be incorporated with the purpose of carrying on business for profit other than making profit for the furtherance of its object.”
Dr. Opoku-Mensah also posited that the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, had affirmed the status of the National Cathedral as a company limited by guarantee given its principal activities per the incorporation documents, namely:
1. To own the assets of the National Cathedral of Ghana
2. To administer the National Cathedral Project
3. To serve as a convening platform for national conversation on faith
4. To operate an interdenominational church for national purposes
He asserted further that “the incorporation of the National Cathedral of Ghana as a private company owned by the state, with the Museums and Monument Board as its sole corporate member, reflects and affirms the National Cathedral’s character as a national monument and hence a public project.”
A member of the minority in Parliament and member of parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, challenged the legal status of the National Cathedral on Monday, arguing that it is a private, not a public company. Hon. Ablakwa had premised his argument mainly on incorporation documents received for the Cathedral from the Registrar General’s Department.
