Methodist University for Volta Region
The Methodist Church Ghana has initiated steps to establish a university campus in the Volta Region to increase access to higher education in the area.
Currently, the church is undertaking feasibility studies for the project.
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The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Most Reverend Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, announced this in an interview on the sidelines at the official opening of the 25th Synod of the Tema Diocese of the church, at the Emmanuel Methodist Church in Ho.
Touting the church’s track record in education, Most Rev. Boafo said the church was always there to bring transformation as it was keen on education, health and sanitation.
"Our coming here is not just for the establishment of chapels or churches, but we enter any vicinity holistically. We look at the education of the people, from the young to the old, we also look at their health needs, sanitation and provide potable water to the people, and how they can live right.
"In education, we have a track record and it's everywhere. Our aim will be to do feasibility studies, look at where the university campus will be established. We site our projects and institutions where they will benefit and impact the people more.
“It is possible but we will have to do our studies first. Basic and secondary schools will also be another area we will be looking at, because we will be establishing crèches and more primary schools," the bishop announced.
Most Rev. Boafo said the Methodist Church would collaborate with the government and chiefs to ensure that the establishment of the university campus in the Volta Region would come to fruition.
Health post
He disclosed that the church was also targeting Dambai, the Oti regional capital, for the provision of a health post, to give the people access to health care.
He said the Methodist Church had provided a number of social amenities, such as potable water to the people of Dambai where its first chapel was built; adding: "Whatever we provide, be it schools, health facilities, potable water, we put it at the disposal of everyone."
The three-day 25th Synod, which ended on May 1, was on the theme "Discipleship: Living the transformed life in Jesus Christ".
The official opening of the Synod was preceded with a parade of a contingent of the Boys' and Girls' Brigade of the church.
Elections were also conducted for the positions of the Bishop of the Ho Diocese and the Diocesan Lay Chairman.
The Ho Section of the Tema Diocese comprises six circuits, namely Juapong, Peki, Tsito-Awudome, Aveyime, Hohoe and Ho, and it will be inaugurated in October 2022.
Youth development
The Diocesan Bishop, Tema Diocese, Rt. Rev. Samuel Ofori Akyea, said the diocese was implementing strategic objectives towards the development of the youth, including the designing of intentional leadership development programmes that prepare the youth for key leadership roles in the church.
He said the church would liaise with vocational institutes to organise skills training programmes that would improve young people, make them independent and aid them to have a livelihood.
He appealed to the church’s societies to establish a youth support fund at the diocesan level, to provide sustainable support to the development of young people.
Sanitation
Rt. Rev. Akyea said environmental sanitation was an essential factor contributing to the health of the church, thus the need to continue to educate members and the community to stop the disposal of waste into gutters and drains.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho Central, Benjamin Komla Kpodo, said the Methodist Church was a development agent, which must be associated with, to ensure that gains made were sustained for the betterment of the people.
