By Joyce Kantam Kolamong
Vice President of the Tamale Ecclesiastical Province Conference, TEPPCON, Most Rev. Peter Paul Angkyier, who is also the Bishop of Damango Diocese, has emphasized the need for constructive dialogue between political leaders and citizens in Northern Ghana.
This call to action was made during a conference organized by the Tamale Ecclesiastical Province Bishops, with support from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) in Tamale.
The event, themed “Structured Dialogue between Flagbearers of Election 2024 and Citizens for Democratic Consolidation,” was aimed to discuss critical issues affecting Northern Ghana and the country as a whole. These issues include education, governance and decentralization, environmental sustainability, social inclusion, and the need for a more inclusive democracy.
The Catholic Church in Northern Ghana, comprising the 5 Regions of the North, has identified these areas as crucial for the development of the region and the country.
The bishops are seeking commitments from political leaders to address these issues and work towards a more equitable and just society. The dialogue forms part of TEPPCON’s efforts to promote democratic consolidation and good governance in Ghana. Most Rev. Peter Paul Angkyier noted that, the Catholic Church is committed to working towards the common good and promoting the values of justice, peace, and solidarity.
“It is a fact that many of the issues raised are a national concern but we look at it from the perspective of Northern Ghana. On education, we want a response and commitment to happenings in the education sector. Preferably, we desire to know what plans are in place to have a stable, predictable education system in structure and curriculum, as was the case many years ago”.
Touching on the environment, Most Rev. Bishop Angkyier, emphasized that, “We witness today around the country and also here in the North, along Bole Bamboi stretch and in the Upper East, there is a lot of irresponsible mining and also indiscriminate felling of trees for charcoal, rosewood and this is affecting our weather. We see that the rain pattern has become irregular and of course that is also affecting the production of farming, most of our places up here we depend on agric and so when the rains are not coming well and the farmers are not able to get sufficient food, then the issue of food security and poverty come in. So we wanted to engage the flagbearers to find out plans and strategy they have to address this issue of the environment that will improve the livelihood of the people”.
Participants at the dialogue meeting raised critical concerns about the neglect of parties promises to citizens when they assume power.
The dialogue was attended by Traditional Authorities, peace council, Professionals and Civil Society Organizations, Religious and Clergy men and women, Political Party Representatives and other important guests.
Meanwhile, none of the political parties showed up at the dialogue meeting.
