Speak out against societal ills – Akufo-Addo tells the Church

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on the Church to speak out against the ills in society and join the government’s fight against corruption, social and economic injustice, crime, the illegal mining menace, popularly referred to as galamsey, and the new phenomenon of vigilantism.

According to the President, with 71.2 per cent of the population practising Christianity, Christian theological education was of no use if it could not be translated into a system of moral recovery and practice.

“That is why my government is keen on restoring more control back to the churches over the missionary schools. I am glad that many religious groups now seem to want to concentrate on the tertiary sector in the provision of education,” he added.

The President made the call when he addressed the 75th anniversary and 72nd graduation of the Trinity Theological Seminary in Accra last Saturday.

He noted that with the Church and education being linked, the traditions of discipline, hard work and integrity that characterised the churches that sponsor the Trinity Theological Seminary were needed in the country.

Revert to early childhood education

President Akufo-Addo made a heartfelt appeal to the sponsoring churches of the seminary to take a look back at the early childhood sector, saying the churches used to be very active in that sector.

“There is an obvious great need in this sector, as we seem to be failing our young people. There is no gainsaying the fact that the most critical stages of education for any child are the early years. The words of the Holy Scripture tell us, again, that ‘train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will never depart from it’,” he said.

 “Starting with our schools, we have to teach virtues, values and morals and love for one another.  If this is not done, we will be failing our young people. The churches have a proven track record in this sector and I urge you to go back and help our nation. I daresay it will be useful for the growth of the churches as well,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo urged the graduands to rise up to their religious responsibilities and stimulate the desired motivational spirit of renewal and transformation towards effective nation-building.

“The growth of the Church should be measured not only in the number of its followers but also the quality of its members, who are dedicated to uphold the spiritual virtues of Jesus Christ. A church, even with a limited number of congregations, can make a difference by breaking new ground and bringing light where there is darkness,” he added.

The President said he recognised fully that he needed the support of every Ghanaian, especially the support and prayers of the Church, to help him and his government carry out their mandate successfully.

According to him, he won the 2016 elections because Ghanaians were dissatisfied with their living conditions and the direction in which the economy and, indeed, the country was headed, adding: “They believed we, in the NPP, were different and could put in place the requisite measures to improve their living conditions.”

Stimulating investments

It was for that reason, he said, that “we have begun to work on the fundamentals of the economy, because we believe that an improved macro-economy is a fundamental requirement for stimulating the investments we need for the significant expansion and growth of the national economy and the generation of wealth and jobs”.

That, President Akufo-Addo noted, had resulted in the growing stability of the macro-economy and the cedi, reduction in inflation and interest rates and the abolition of nuisance taxes whose aim was to shift the focus of the economy from an emphasis on taxation to an emphasis on production.

He said the government had begun the implementation of initiatives such as the free SHS policy, the Planting for Food and Jobs, the one-district, one-factory, the National Entrepreneurship and Innovations Plan (NEIP) to help start-ups and the difficult early stages of setting up businesses, the reintroduction of the mass cocoa spraying exercise, re-afforestation programmes, among others.

“The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) is poised to employ some 60,000 youth. Extension officers, health professionals and teachers are now being employed, again, to provide the much needed support for our agricultural, health and educational sectors,” he added.

Writer’s email: victor.kwawukume@graphic.com.gh