The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has commended the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Ghana for its contributions to the country’s development since its establishment 100 years ago.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission was established in the then Gold Coast 100 years ago and on Thursday, February 22, thousands of Ghanaian Ahmadis joined members from neighbouring countries at Pomadzi in the Central Region to commemorate its Centenary Anniversary.
Speaking as a Special Guest of the Centenary Convention, Vice President Bawumia acknowledged the contributions of the Ahmadiyya Community to Ghana’s development as well as its impact on the propagation of Islamic tenets in Ghana.
“From its establishment in the Gold Coast a century ago, the Ahmadiyya Mission, undoubtedly, has contributed significantly to the state of Islam in Ghana today,” Dr Bawumia said.
He added: “The story of Islam in contemporary Ghana, especially the story of the continuous quest to propagate the true tenets of the religion such as peace, equality, compassion, the pursuit of knowledge and respect for all, cannot be fully told without the remarkable contributions of the Ahmadiyya Community.
“One hundred years after setting out a noble revival mission, the revival that the Ahmadiyya Mission Ghana aimed for has manifestations in the spheres of education, health, enhancement of social relations for the promotion of national peace, fostering co-existence in our multi-cultural and multi-religious country, as well as engendering good governance.”
Dr Bawumia reserved special praise to the Ahmadiyya Community, for their efforts in the health sector and education, which he said is in line with his personal belief of transforming the youth through education and making education freely accessible to all.
“Two areas the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has made significant contributions, in its 100 years’ revival mission, which deserve much commendation, are education and health sectors, where the Community has built seven hospitals.”
“As a staunch advocate for the development of the youth through education, I am highly impressed by the remarkable contributions and impact the Community has made in the education sector, throughout the country. To have built a total of 315 schools at the primary, junior and senior high school levels, as well as one college of education, is truly impressive and commendable.”
“Many Ghanaians, regardless of religious affiliations, have benefited from your decision to focus on education, which is in line with our government’s vision to invest in education and make it freely accessible to all Ghanaians at the secondary level.”
Dr Bawumia also extolled the Ahmadiyya Community for its contributions to religious harmony, peace-building and promotion of good governance.
“Through our Free SHS, policy, which also reflects the tenets of your reawakening mission, secondary education, since 2017, has been freely available to every Ghanaian throughout the country.
“This has resulted in a record enrolment from a total of 800,000 students in 2016, to the current 1.4m students; a 75% increase in just 7 years. Thanks to the policy, we have also achieved gender balance in senior high school enrolment, a marked improvement on the hitherto, higher male enrolment, as many families who could not afford school fees, chose the easy but sad option of truncating the education of their female wards,” the Vice President noted.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
