The newly inducted Lay President of the Methodist Church Ghana, Mr Alfred Sakyi, has pledged to promote youth entrepreneurship and economic empowerment through a church-backed programme aimed at helping young people explore business opportunities amid limited employment prospects.
He said the Methodist Entrepreneurship Development Programme would remain a priority of the Lay Movement, adding that seed funding was available and applications were already being submitted.
Mr Sakyi announced this at his induction service at St Paul Cathedral in Tema on Saturday, October 10, 2026, where he outlined his priorities for his three-year tenure.
A retired banker, he succeeds Mr Kwasi Attah-Antwi, whose tenure has ended. Mr Sakyi was elected at the 52nd Conference of the Methodist Church Ghana, held in Tema in August this year. His tenure began on October 1, 2026, and ends on September 30, 2029.
The Lay President is the second-highest officeholder in the church's administrative hierarchy and assists the Presiding Bishop in leading the church, acting in his stead in his absence.
Mr Sakyi said the entrepreneurship initiative would encourage young people to consider business creation as a viable alternative to formal employment and equip them to contribute to national economic development.
He pledged to work with the Presiding Bishop, the Administrative Bishop and other church leaders to strengthen the Methodist Church's contribution to economic empowerment, education, healthcare, social services and spiritual development.
Church priorities
Mr Sakyi identified youth development, strengthening children's ministry, re-engaging inactive members and deepening spirituality as key priorities for the 2026/2027 ecclesiastical year.
He also pledged support for the Methodist Prayer and Renewal Programme, which seeks to promote spiritual growth across the church's societies. He said he would build on his predecessors' achievements and foster stronger collaboration between the clergy and the laity to advance the church's mission.
Competence and continuity
The Presiding Bishop, the Most Reverend Professor Johnson Asamoah-Gyadu, urged the new Lay President to uphold integrity, wisdom and spiritual maturity while working with the clergy.
Preaching on the theme "Leading According to Your Grace," Professor Asamoah-Gyadu said effective Christian leadership required good character, sound judgement and spiritual maturity. He urged church leaders to be trustworthy, selfless and prayerful, ensuring their decisions promoted fairness, unity and members' welfare.
He also encouraged Mr Sakyi to recognise the diverse gifts and talents within the church and mobilise members to contribute to its growth.
Professor Asamoah-Gyadu cautioned against conflicts between lay leadership and ordained ministry, stressing that their responsibilities were distinct but complementary. He urged the new Lay President to respect the church's Constitution and operate within his mandate.
National development
On national development, Professor Asamoah-Gyadu called for greater recognition of competence, institutional continuity and individual skills, irrespective of political affiliation.
He warned that Ghana risked losing valuable experience when successive governments replaced managers of state-owned enterprises and board members appointed under previous administrations. Although governments needed trusted personnel to implement their policies, he said this should not result in wholesale replacements.
"We do ourselves a great disservice when we get rid of all the people who are managers of state enterprises and people who have chaired boards of various organisations in the country. So we lose a lot of knowledge and skill," he said.
He said the principle also applied to the church, where members should be encouraged to use their gifts, skills and knowledge to advance its mission.
