The Executive Director of the National Cathedral of Ghana Secretariat, Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, has given clarifications regarding the legal status of the cathedral.
In a statement, which is a sequel to one issued on Friday, June 17, Dr Opoku-Mensah indicated that after seeking clarity from the Attorney General regarding the status of the Cathedral, he was duly advised that it is a state-owned company limited by guarantee.
The advice by Godfred Yeboah Dame on Thursday, January 6 also confirmed that the Museums and Monuments Board, a government agency, is the sponsoring agency and the sole corporate member.
It also designated the Cathedral as a non-profit-making organisation.
“Any income generated and income and property acquired by the National Cathedral are thus required to be reinvested and used for promoting its non-profit activities,” portions of Mr Dame’s letter read.
According to Dr Opoku-Mensah, the advice led to the incorporation of the Cathedral as a company for the state, therefore it being constructed as a public project.
He indicated that directors of the company were registered under the Companies Act, 1963 (Act 179) on Thursday, July 18, 2019 with the Director of the Museums and Monuments Board as one of the directors.
The addendum issued on Tuesday, June 21, therefore, listed all the current directors of the Cathedral and clarified that three more including “active” trustee member Bishop Dag Heward-Mills will be added.
Curiously, Bishop Heward-Mills and Reverend Professor Cephas Omenyo are the only trustees whose names are not captured as directors.
This has been a subject of allegations of a cover-up by the project handlers.
Dr Opoku-Mensah clarified that the immediate past Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana had been indisposed since 2018 while Bishop Dag was out of the country when the registration was done.
“The Secretariat is awaiting the replacements of Rev Cephas Omenyo and the late Chairman, Most Rev Asante Antwi to the Board of Trustees. Once these replacements are made by the President, there will be a Board resolution to add their names, and that of Bishop Dag Heward Mills, to the list of Directors.”
The response comes in the face of several allegations by North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP) Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa about the cover-up regarding funds used in building the project.
The idea to build the National Cathedral was birthed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a personal promise to God for helping him become President in 2017. It was unveiled on the 60th independence anniversary celebration of Ghana.