Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has reaffirmed his commitment to fostering a stronger partnership between the government and religious organizations, particularly the church, to accelerate national development. He made this declaration during a meeting with clergy members in the North East region.
Dr. Bawumia emphasized the crucial role of the church as a development partner, citing its numerous contributions to education, healthcare, and social welfare. “The church is the foremost development partner of the government… Look at the number of schools, hospitals, and universities the churches have built. Look at the number of people the churches and faith-based organizations take care of on a daily basis.”
He warned that without the church’s contributions, the country would face chaos and struggle to survive. “If all the schools, universities, and hospitals the churches have built were to disappear, Ghana would collapse. We would not survive in that situation.”
The Vice President also clarified his earlier statement on incentivizing churches instead of imposing taxes, which had been misinterpreted by some Ghanaians. “I made that statement within the context of acknowledging the significant contributions of churches and other faith-based institutions to the country… I don’t see a situation where we are taxing churches.”
Dr. Bawumia proposed a partnership strategy similar to international counterparts, where the government would offer incentives to churches and faith-based organizations to support the government’s developmental strategy. He acknowledged the essential role of churches and FBOs in strengthening social cohesion and pledged to work closely with them for the mutual benefit of the government and religious institutions in Ghana.
