The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) has expressed concern about the worsening livelihood of Ghanaians as the current economic situation has become unbearable.
It, therefore, urged the government to back its assurances and efforts at improving the economy and the livelihoods of Ghanaians with real evidence.
This was contained in a communiqué adopted at the Joint Heads of Churches/Organisations and Executive Committee Meeting of the council held at its Secretariat on September 9, 2014.
The issues raised in the communique, which was signed by the General Secretary of the CCG, Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, said it was in acknowledgement of the church’s role as a development partner, the responsibility to support nation-building efforts and hold government accountable for the well-being of every citizen of the country; while promoting national dialogue around the search for policies and strategies towards the economic growth, prosperity and peace of our people.
Support government
The CCG called on Ghanaians to support the government in finding a lasting solution to the country’s current challenges and that Ghanaians must come together “as one people with a common destiny to develop this great country of ours and eschew partisanship in the way and manner we handle national issues”.
It stressed that the national interest and the dignity of the Ghanaian must be at the centre of national efforts and national engagements and was hopeful that Ghana could rise again to become the shining example of Africa.
Public confidence
The communique noted that Ghanaians were fast losing confidence in the government because their needs and aspirations were not being met and that the recent frequent demonstrations, labour unrest and media reports on people committing suicide, some in churches, were indications that Ghanaians were losing confidence in their leaders.
It, therefore, urged the government to take the necessary steps to restore public confidence.
It reiterated the need for church leaders, chieftaincy institutions and other stakeholders to support efforts at restoring public confidence in the people they led.
“That, our religious and traditional leaders should actively show interest in national issues and articulate the concerns of their people and journey with them in finding solutions to the numerous challenges that confront them and that commendation be given government, traditional authorities when due and constructive criticism be made and accepted,” it said.
Establishment of 200 SHS
The CCG urged the government to partner religious bodies that had the track-record in the educational sector to establish the promised 200 community day senior high schools and consider entering into public-private partnerships with some of the religious bodies in the construction of the schools, as well as ensure transparency and accountability in the establishment of those schools.
Winner-takes-all
The communiqué noted that the current winner-takes-all syndrome was undermining the country’s development and had become a threat to its fledgling democracy and called for a slow down in the ongoing Constitutional review process to incorporate proposals from the Institute of Economic Affairs and other institutions on how to address the winner-takes-all phenomenon.
While calling for the election of metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives, the CCG urged the President to appoint capable people outside his party onto boards and public institutions;
Strikes & demonstrations
It said while Ghanaians and labour had the right to demonstrate against worsening living standards in the country, excessive demonstrations could also contribute to the worsening of the country’s challenges.
It, therefore, urged the government to proactively address the concerns of labour to bring an end to the current labour unrest across major sectors of the economy and also take results- oriented actions to deal with the enormous challenges confronting Ghanaians to bring an end to the current demonstrations and strikes.
Other matters
The communique touched on the country’s preparedness for the Ebola virus disease and the cholera outbreak and expressed the willingness of the church to partner the government to deal with the menace.
It stressed the need for the government to also honour its obligations by paying statutory funds timeously to the National Health Insurance Authority, the Ghana Education Trust Fund and educational institutions.
