Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia exchanging pleasantries with the clergy
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia believes that considering the state of the country, Ghana only needs a visionary leader to move forward.
That, he said, will determine where Ghanaians want the future of the country to be and carefully plan how to get there.
This was when he spoke at the second Biennial Joint Session of the East, West and Mid-Ghana Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E) Zion in Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region yesterday.
Dr. Bawumia, who is also the flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), therefore, noted that “if we are to truly secure the future, it is imperative that we carefully consider the implication of our current actions and inactions on our future and take steps to attain the desired goal.”
That effort, he said, also needs dedicated people who strive to achieve their ideals and aspirations for the future.
The five-day conference is on the theme, “The freedom church; Securing our future”, and it is being attended by delegates from Ghana, Angola, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia and the United States of America (USA).
Dr. Bawumia observed that on one hand, the Western West Africa Episcopal District of the church was preparing to enter a new quadrennium while the country was preparing to elect a new administration into office to steer the affairs of state.
He, thus, stressed that “the theme reminds us that we have a future worth securing.”
That, he said, was because no one secures that which is valueless, rather “we go to all lengths to protect and preserve that which we consider to be of worth and value.”
As with all nations around the world, Dr. Bawumia admitted, “We have had some very turbulent and troubling economic challenges in recent times.”
That notwithstanding, he insisted, “This cannot and should not be allowed to dampen our confidence and faith in the future that God himself has for us.”
He, therefore, said the theme for the conference was a stirring appeal to each Ghanaian to believe in the future and take deliberate steps now to preserve, protect and secure the county at all cost.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo donated an amount of GH¢50,000, while Dr. Bawumia also promised to assist the church with an ambulance.
On his part, the presiding Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E) Zion Church, Rt. Rev. Dr. Hilliard Dela Dogbe, indicated that under the current circumstance, parents are struggling to fend for their families, the young are worried about their future and the old are concerned about what legacy they are leaving behind due to the current economic challenges facing the country.
He prayed for a better Ghana where standard of living will be good and people will be able to make ends meet.
On the December elections, he called for a decent approach by all political players, and said campaigns and engagements based on parochial interests, negative propaganda and denigrating each other to win power is unhealthy.
He also mentioned the construction of an A.M.E Zion Church retreat and conference centre which the church would break the ground for the commencement in October this year.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent