The property on which the National Cathedral is being built was purchased by the state in 1910, according to Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Samuel Abu Jinapor.
According to him, the roughly 16.26-acre parcel of property was bought by the State on September 29, 1910, as shown by a Certificate of Title.
In response to a question on the floor of the Parliament on Tuesday, Mr. Abu Jinapor said that the property was consequently public land, vested in the president of the republic on behalf of and in trust for the citizens under Article 257 (1) of the Constitution.
The sector minister was in the chamber to respond to a question posed by Mr. Kwame Agbodza, a member of the House of Representatives from the constituency of Adaklu.
Mr. Agbodza asked whether the government had acquired by eminent domain the land on which the National Cathedral was being constructed, and if so, whether the government had compensated the previous owners in accordance with the law.
“Mr. Speaker, according to section three of the Public Lands Ordinance, 1876 (Cap 134), the prevailing statute at the time, the pre-acquisition proprietors were properly compensated.
“The property is thus public land, vested in the president of the Republic on behalf of and in trust for the people of Ghana,” he stated.