Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has called on the leadership of the National Muslim Conference (NMC) to join forces with other religious groups and partner government to achieve inclusive development for the betterment of the country.
The National Muslim Conference is a coalition of Muslim sects and stakeholders under the umbrella of the Chief National Imam and the Muslim Caucus of Parliament. The objectives of NMC are to bring all Muslims together to contribute meaningfully to the welfare of their community members and national development.
Speaking at the launch of the second edition of the NMC in Accra on Thursday September 22, Dr. Bawumia commended the NMC for its ideals of national development and urged the leadership of the NMC to help protect the enviable peace and unity between Muslims and Christians. joining hands with their Christian counterparts to strive for collective national development as key national stakeholders.
“After carefully studying the Minutes of the Conference, I have come to understand that the NMC seeks to mobilize the energy, human and material resources of the Muslim Ummah (community) in Ghana to spur the national leaders of the Muslim community to action for the collective growth of the Ummah and Ghana as a whole,” said Dr. Bavumia.
“The NMC could not have chosen any indicators of growth and development better than the four thematic pillars and objectives enshrined in the NMC Act, namely; Education, Health, Finance and Economic Empowerment of the Muslim Ummah in Ghana.
“Thematic areas will not only find a place in the government’s development agenda, but also align with the development agenda of the African continent and the United Nations.”
The Vice President also noted that for the government, closing the development gap between the less privileged communities and others remains a priority for the overall growth of the country.
“As a government, we believe that every effort should be made to get rid of any form of exclusion, no matter what community is involved, be it Christian, Muslim or any other community, because we are one people with a common destiny.”
“This is the reason why our government has pursued an inclusive development agenda through the establishment of development mechanisms for relevant communities such as the Coastal Development Authority, the Middle Belt Development Authority, the Northern Development Authority and the Zongo Development Fund.
Dr. Bawumia emphasized that apart from the government’s inclusive development policies, there is a need for interfaith dialogue as well as greater engagement between the country’s two leading religious groups (Muslims and Christians) to come up with strategies and plans in collaboration with the government. , to alleviate the everyday problems people face.
“Ghanaian Muslims have always joined hands with their Christian counterparts in nation building. As early as 1932, the Muslims of the Gold Coast did their duty and formed the Gold Coast Muslim Association, which was founded as a welfare and social association.
“There is no doubt that Ghanaian Muslims and Christians are unique and capable of joining hands, working together and achieving success in various fields, from sports to politics.
“The beautiful apparition of the Jummah congregation around Nima Roundabout in Accra extending to the facade of the church premises, the sight of the national imam in the chapel exchanging graces with Christian leaders and the Christian president teaming up with a Muslim vice president in the case of my boss and me are some of the great examples of what Muslims and Christians can do together in our workplaces, communities and nation if we continue to tolerate each other and show respect for our religious diversity.”
While commending the NMC leaders for their vision, Dr. Bawumia also urged them to prioritize education and compel members of their community to take full advantage of the government’s expansion of free access to education because “education is the surest way to empower people, accelerate development and poverty reduction’.
The Chief National Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, stressed the need to promote tolerance, peace and unity in the country and urged the nation to continue to be grateful to God for the grace He bestowed upon the country as a peaceful nation in the midst of conflicts in the sub-region.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the President of the Republic of Ghana.
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