President John Dramani Mahama has called on Ghanaians to pray for peace in Bawku, Gaza, Sudan and wherever conflict is raging like in Ukraine and Russia.
“Let us remember the orphan, the widow, the sick, and the elderly,” the President said adding, “let’s walk together in hope and remember that Ghana belongs to all of us.”
Speaking at the national Eid ul-Adha prayers led by the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu in Accra on Friday to climax the festival of sacrifice, he urged Muslims to use the occasion to recommit to the values that bind humanity as one people – faith, sacrifice, love and unity.
He assured the Muslim ummah that should the cedi continue to gain strength against the major trading currencies, the fares for the performance of Hajj would further drop next year to afford interested persons the opportunity to perform Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.
President Mahama further entreated Muslim youth to take advantage of government’s jobs and training initiatives, especially the national apprenticeship and Adwumawura programmes to acquire skills for the world of work and start their businesses.
Underscoring the importance of education, President Mahama said government was committed to equitable opportunities for all Ghanaians irrespective of the background.
Consequently, he directed the Scholarship Secretariat to design a dedicated scholarship programme for brilliant but needy Muslim students seeking to study law, medicine, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and engineering.
According to President Mahama, the dedicated scholarship programme was intended to address historical disparities in human capital development in the country and empower Muslim students to excel in critical fields vital for national development.
“I believe that every Ghanaian child deserves a shot at success no matter where they are born,” President Mahama stated.
He said under his government’s Zongo development framework, there would be a special focus on infrastructure, sanitation, health, sports and vocational training.
The Chief Imam, in his message, called for global peace and moral renewal to make the world a better place to live.
He called for mutual respect to promote peace and social cohesion with emphasis on strict adherence to the ban on drumming and noise making as imposed by the Ga people towards the observation of the Homowo festival.
He used the occasion to say prayers for the President and his cabinet, the legislature and the judiciary for the discernment of wisdom in their decisions.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
