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Abide by the principles of marriage – couples advised
The Ministerial Secretary of the Southern Ghana Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) Pastor Dr Nii Lamptey Thompson, has urged married couples to commit themselves to meeting each other’s needs.
He again couple must support one another because marriage “does not rest on the lust of the flesh but the principles of love, loyalty, trust, and support upheld by both partners in obedience to God.”
According to him, “when these principles are violated, the marriage is endangered because the Almighty God who instituted such principles acknowledges that tragic circumstances could destroy marriage.”
Pastor Nii Lamptey said these when he took the SDA Pastors’ Wives Association (Shepherdess) in the Southern Sector through the increasing divorce rate in ministerial homes and church at the 2022 Shepherdess Biennial Retreat at Koforidua last Saturday.
He defined marriage as “a life-long commitment between man and woman which requires knowledge to embrace it, and needs one to be careful with the repercussion and be adequately matured to withstand the effect because marriage is not a child’s play.”
He said that a wife or husband was not supposed to leave the partner but if this happened then she or he should remain unmarried or be prepared to accept the partner back.
He noted that hardly did one hear of a divorce in the olden days but presently, everybody including Christians, men of God, and religious leaders were divorcing everywhere without recourse to the teaching of the Bible.
Pastor Dr Lamptey said God intended the marriage of Adam and Eve to be the pattern for all future marriages, and Christ also endorsed this original concept but because of fashion and especially facial beauty, “a man sees a lady today and tomorrow they are wedding.”
Quoting from the of book of Mark 10:2-9, he said divorce was contrary to God’s original purpose in creating marriage so the Bible was not silent about it, therefore, the Christian concept of marriage should include divine ideal, oneness and equality.
Talking about the role of the Church, he said the model for the husband’s leadership was the self-sacrificial love and service that Christ gave to the Church so the Church should emphasise the love and submission of husband and wife to one another.
Pastor Lamptey advised married couples to always consider the repercussions of divorce and renew their marriage by mutually agreeing to a renewed marriage contract.
From Samuel Opare Lartey, Koforidua.
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana has signed a debt restructuring agreement with the Kingdom of Belgium as part of efforts to restore the country’s economic stability after the financial crisis that hit the nation in 2022 and 2023.
The Minister of Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, today disclosed that he signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Ghana.
He explained that Ghana experienced a very difficult period during the crisis, which forced the government at the time to declare a debt default.
However, he indicated that the country is now recovering and witnessing a significant economic turnaround.
According to him, stronger systems are also being put in place to ensure that Ghana does not return to such a situation again.
Dr Forson noted that the agreement with Belgium is the eighth deal Ghana has concluded with countries under the Official Creditor Committee as part of its external debt restructuring programme.
He expressed appreciation to the Government of Belgium for its support and partnership with Ghana during the process.
The Finance Minister thanked Carole van Eyll, Ambassador of Belgium to Ghana, for her role in strengthening relations between the two countries.
The agreement forms part of Ghana’s broader effort to restructure its external debts and stabilise the economy following the crisis.
By: Jacob Aggrey
