‘What is the total number of shrines in the country’ – NPP MP questions Chieftaincy minister

The Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, Professor Kingsley Nyarko, has questioned the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Ahmed Ibrahim, over the absence of data on the number of shrines across the country.

Raising the question on the floor of Parliament, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) asked the minister to provide figures on the total number of shrines in Ghana and indicate how many had been formally registered.

“I would like to ask the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs the total number of shrines in the country and the number of them that are registered,” Nyarko stated.

In response, Minister Ahmed Ibrahim admitted that the Ministry currently has no comprehensive records on shrines nationwide.

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“My deeper life Christian brother is asking me for us to count the shrines. The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs currently has no concrete records on the total number of shrines in the country. We will consider liaising with traditional authorities, including Hon Professor Kingsley Nyarko, to take stock of all shrines in the country in the very near future,” the minister said.

Unsatisfied with the response, Professor Nyarko explained that his question formed part of a broader inquiry into the number of shrines, churches and mosques in Ghana, noting that only the question on shrines was admitted for response in Parliament.

“I asked three separate questions about the number of shrines, the number of churches and the number of mosques in the country were admitted. I’m surprised that only the one on shrines was programmed,” he said.

The Kwadaso MP emphasised the importance of having accurate data on all religious institutions for effective policy planning and social development.

“We need to have data. If you live in a society without knowing the numbers of these institutions, then it means you are making a mistake. That is the epicenter of my question,” he stressed.

AM