Chief Imam
The 29th National Ramadan Conference has announced that the first day for the sighting of the moon for the 2023 Ramadan fasting shall be Wednesday, March 22, which corresponds with the 29th day of the Islamic lunar calendar of Sha’aban. “If sighted on that day, Thursday, March 23 shall be the first day of Ramadan. If not sighted, March 23, 2023 shall be the 30th day of Sha’ban in which case Friday, March 24 shall automatically be the first day of Ramadan for 2023.”
These were contained in a communique issued at the end of a day-conference held at Cape Coast in the Central Region.
The conference was made up of delegates from various Islamic groupings who agreed that the National Chief Imam or his representative should announce the commencement of the Ramadan fasting on national television or any other channel in consultation with other stakeholders.
The cutoff point for the sighting of the moon, the communiqué added, should be 10pm each day.
The conference discussed issues of national importance as is the practice annually.
They called on the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and the Interior Ministry to intervene in the Bawku row and not to interfere, so that peace would be restored in the restive town.
They also called on National Commission on Small Arms to intensify their sensitisation programme about the dangers of proliferation of small arms.
They commended the work of the Zakat and Saddaqat Trust Fund of Ghana and demanded of all Muslims to support it.
The conference called on parents and guardians to attach importance to the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) in the country. “Parents should reflect and see the need to send their children to the Technical and Vocational training institutes as schools of crystal choice,” they said.
On admission into colleges of education, the conference called on government to review the quota system in the public colleges of education which limits admission to only three hundred students. “This new quota system will dampen the spirit of prospective teachers and qualified students who wish to pursue the course of study in such colleges at a time when the country is in pressing need of their services,” they stated.
By A.R. Gomda