Akufo-Addo charges Youths to adhere to Development

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on the Youth in the Country to youth to hear the call of the Lord to become priests, prophets and preachers.

He believes that amenity should also spur them on to become engineers, scientists, carpenters, masons, plumbers, mathematics teachers, tailors, etc., because we must have a properly functioning society to be able to worship in peace.”

Speaking at the 2018 Synod of the Global Evangelical Church on the theme of this year’s Synod, “Effective Discipleship – the Cross and Our Commitment”, noted that the churches were seen as leading the drive for development, as they built and ran schools and hospitals, led the campaign for good sanitation, and preached and practiced.

With the public looking on as priests compete to show who is the more powerful and who is the richer, and with the public looking on as some of the churches appear to forget about the poor and the vulnerable in society, and concentrate on being outrageous, President Akufo-Addo stated that “it is not surprising that there are calls for taxes to be imposed on church incomes.”

He added that “When you step out of the charity sphere, out of education and out of healthcare, you are putting yourself in the line of the taxman.”

“I know that the Church can be very influential, and make a dramatic difference in education, health and sanitation. The same enthusiasm that you are able to marshal to grow and increase your numbers, that same enthusiasm can help to build Ghana. Let us join hands together and build the happy and prosperous Ghana we all want. It is well within our reach,” President Akufo-Addo concluded.

Meanwhile, the Christian Council of Ghana wants the activities of churches in the country to be regulated.

General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Cyril Fayose said the Council will push for some form of self-regulation.

“I have been involved in extreme and abusive practices in their churches. Reverend Chair, a conversation on the need for religious regulations in our country is therefore inevitable. The church must step up discussions on how to regulate the establishment and activities of churches in order to drastically reduce the abominable practices in our churches. Some time ago, the government of the day tried to regulate church activities, and the Christian Council and other Councils stood vehemently against it. But I think it is about time we do some self-regulation ourselves. The Council must all come together, and we must rope in everyone and let us make some regulation.