The Vice-Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has reiterated his boss’ vision to support faith-based organisations to drive national development.
Speaking at the annual church conference and unveiling of a new constitution of the Kristo Asafo Mission of Ghana on Sunday, July 14, 2024, Dr Prempeh revealed that faith-based organisations that meet a certain threshold in national development will receive additional incentives under Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s vision if the NPP wins the 2024 general elections.
“Under Dr Bawumia’s vision, faith-based organisations that meet a certain threshold in terms of their contribution to national development will be given additional incentives to enhance their work as development partners,” he noted.
This move, he noted, is aimed at recognising and empowering faith-based organisations such as Kristo Asafo Mission, which have been instrumental in complementing the government’s efforts in areas like education, healthcare, and economic empowerment.
Dr Prempeh, who is a former Minister of Education emphasised that the incentives would enable these organisations to expand their reach and deepen their impact, fostering sustainable development and improving lives.
“It is also aimed at fostering collaboration between the government and faith-based organisations to promote a culture of partnership and collective progress,” he added.
Commenting further, Dr Prempeh, who is popularly known in political circles as NAPO, urged the church to deepen its collaboration and dialogue with other religious bodies to enhance national development, believing that such a move will sustain the peace the country has always been enjoying.
“Ghana is blessed in many ways. One of these is the abundance of peace, cooperation, and dialogue between various faiths, particularly, between Christianity and Islam…Growing up in Kumasi’s Ashanti New Town and Allah Bar enclave in the 1970s and the 1980s, I had many Islam friends, I celebrated Easter, Christmas, and Eid festivals with, and our respective religious faiths did not seem to matter in our friendships.”
“I know I am not alone in this, and that this experience is reflected in all corners of our beautiful country. Some of these friendships endure till today and it is a testimony of how far we have been able to grow and infuse religious tolerance into our national life,” he said.
Citing the NPP’s Presidential candidate as a passionate advocate of inter-faith dialogue where he has demonstrated that through his regular visits to and interacted with churches, Dr Prempeh urged the country to keep working hard to further grow the dialogue between the religious bodies and help consolidate the peace the country is enjoying.
Explore the world of impactful news with CitiNewsroom on WhatsApp!
Click on the link to join the Citi Newsroom channel for curated, meaningful stories tailored just for YOU: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x
No spams, just the stories that truly matter! #StayInformed #CitiNewsroom #CNRDigital
