Ramadan to begin April

This year's Ramadan fasting is expected to start on Saturday, April 2 or Sunday, April 3, 2022, depending on the day a new moon will be sighted.

If the moon is sighted on Friday, April 1, 2020, fasting will commence the next day. However, if the moon is sighted on April 2, then Sunday, April 3, 2022, shall be the first day of the 2022 Ramadan.

This was contained in a communique issued at the close of the 28th annual national Ramadan conference in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital, last Saturday.

The three-day conference, which started on March 17, 2022, was attended by Regional Chief Imams, secretaries, Muslim chiefs, as well as some Islamic scholars.

The conference, on the theme: "Peace: Essential tool for stability and prosperity”, did not deliberate only on the specific day for the commencement of this year's Ramadan but also discussed some issues of national interest.

Call for peace

The deputy national secretary of the Hilal Committee, Baba Dawud, who read the communique, called on Muslims, particularly those in Bawku in the Upper East Region, to give peace a chance, while efforts were made to find a lasting solution to the impasse in the area.

That, he said, would enable the youth to exert their time and energy on more productive ventures to build their future for better livelihoods.

On the upbringing of children, Alhaji Dawud said the conference resolved that children should be properly catered for by their parents and guardians, including providing them with opportunities that would enable them to grow into useful citizens.

With regard to food security, he said the Ministry of Food and Agriculture must ensure that farming inputs, such as fertiliser, were made available.

Alhaji Dawud further appealed to the government and other stakeholders to intensify awareness of the COVID-19 virus to help contain its spread.

On the 2021 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results, he claimed that about 70 per cent of the candidates had called for the re-marking of their examination scripts due to poor performance.

The deputy secretary, therefore, asked for the immediate publication of the chief examiner’s report and statement from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) explaining the wide gap in passes between this year's results and those of previous years.

Road accidents

Speaking about the prevailing situation of road accidents that were claiming lives and maiming others, Alhaji Dawud urged the law enforcement agencies to ensure that all broken-down vehicles were removed from the roads, while speed limits were also adhered to.

Others who addressed the conference were the executive secretary of the Office of the National Chief Imam, Alhaji Awaisu Bio Salisu, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Inner Cities and Zongo Development Fund, Alhaji Ben Abdallah.

The rest were the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for New Juaben South, Mr Appaw-Gyasi, and the Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Mr Michael Okyere Baafi.