Elvis Afriyie Ankrah
The Presidential Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has disclosed that more than 200 prophecies have so far been submitted to the Presidency following a recent directive for spiritual revelations about the nation to be formally documented and reviewed.
He explained that the measure was introduced after some prophets claimed to have foreseen the tragic helicopter crash that killed eight Ghanaians earlier this month.
He noted that while the Presidency has received a flood of submissions, the vast majority were not credible.
“By and large, 70 to 80 percent is of no substance. Then you look at the rest of the 20 percent, you sift through, and maybe 2–3–5 percent may deserve some further probe. It’s not a full-time job or an office set up solely to receive prophecies; that’s not how it works,” Mr. Afriyie Ankrah told JoyNews.
The envoy stressed that sensitive predictions with potential security implications should never be made public. Instead, he urged prophets to share such revelations privately through official channels that have been created.
“If you say a Ghana Air Force plane is going to crash, whichever way, it’s a security matter. Those specific ones, we are saying, don’t put it out there in a raw form that will create problems. We’ve created a WhatsApp platform and an email address. Send it to us, and then we will review,” he said.
Mr. Ankrah further explained that his office, which was established only two weeks ago, is not a “collector of prophecies” as some critics have suggested. He said misconceptions about the mandate had even resulted in widespread social media memes.
“People didn’t know about the office, so when the statement came out, maybe some thought it was set up solely to collect prophecies. That’s not the case. The office is meant to coordinate with all religious bodies, Christian, Muslim, and others, to help foster unity and oneness in the country,” he stated.
He emphasised that the review of prophecies was just one aspect of his broader role, which includes working with ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations and local faith communities to strengthen interfaith harmony.
Quoting scripture, Afriyie Ankrah said the Bible itself encourages the testing of prophecies. “Testing means there is room for review, to assess and evaluate, because some will definitely be chaff. There’s a lot that is completely bogus and will be discarded. But there may be a few that have some substance,” he explained.
The Presidential Envoy underscored the significance of faith in Ghanaian society, observing that more than 90 percent of the population identifies with a religion, making interfaith engagement central to governance and social cohesion.
Mr. Afriyie Ankrah reaffirmed that while many of the prophecies received are of little consequence, the government remains committed to ensuring that potentially serious revelations are handled responsibly and discreetly.
By Ernest Kofi Adu