Features
Ghanaians expect 2023 to be year of hope & good tidings
Saturday, December 31, 2022, marked the end of last year. The New Year, was ushered in at 12 midnight, on Sunday, January 1, 2023. As usual, churches across the country, were filled to capacity by Christians to keep watch and welcome the new year in a grand style. Praises and worship took the centre stage of the various churches, singing to the glory of God for protecting and guiding us towards the New Year. The religious leaders were also at their best sharing the word of God to their various congregations.
Indeed, God has ushered us into the New Year and mankind needs to thank and praise Him for that feat, while at the same time taking stock of the past in the previous year and chatting a path that will bring about progress and development in our lives and the county as a whole. It has not been easy at all, as many could not make it up to this day due to numerous factors, but thank God, we are alive.
TAKING STOCK OF 2022
Indeed, many are those who will agree with me that 2022 was a very difficult year. It was a year full of trials and tribulations which included adversity, grief, heartache, misery, misfortune, affliction, woes and you can name them. The county’s economy was in total shambles, disarray, total disorder, chaotic and mess. The cost of living was so bad that people found it extremely difficult to make ends meet. The cedi lost more than 50 per cent of its value between January and October 2022, causing Ghana’s debt burden to rise by $6 billion. Fuel prices as well prices of other essential commodities and food items were astronomically high and most Ghanaians could not afford three square meals a day. The government blamed the pandemic and the war in Ukraine as some of the drivers of the economic crisis. However, most economists and analysts thought that the poor performance of the country to help investors to make business was a factor to consider.
IMF BAILOUT
Currently, the country has resorted to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout processes, as a way of solving our economic challenges and bringing the economy back on track since we are not out of the woods yet. It is the prayer of every Ghanaian that this IMF initiative would surely emancipate our country from these economic challenges to enable Ghanaians to lead normal lives. It was a fact that most households, especially families, celebrated last year’s Christmas on a very low key because the means were not there to cater for lavish celebration while at the same time thinking about the school fees of their children and wards.
CAUTIONING DOOMSAYERS
While we are thinking about ways to revamp and restore the economy and put it on sound footing, it is important to caution some of these so-called pastors, prophets and religious leaders who keep prophesying doom and other negative things for our dear country. Instead of using their pulpit to pray for peace to prevail and also to unite the country, they are rather interested in empty prophesies that serve no purpose but to cause disaffection among the people.
It is recalled that in the year 2021, when the police had warned that they would deal ruthlessly with those doomsayers, some of them resorted to dirty tricks to outwit the police by equating Ghana to the state of Umoufia, in Nigeria, which Chinua Achebe highlighted in his famous “Things Fall Apart” novel to predict all kinds of dooms and unnecessary things against Ghana and certain individuals and then got away with them easily without being arrested and prosecuted in the law courts.
Now, they were at it again and the police have kept silence. During the watch night service on Sunday, December 31, 2022, to usher in the New Year, those same charlatans and good-for-nothing pastors and prophets did their own thing again. Some of them mounted their pulpits to castigate, malign and attack certain individuals and personalities while at the same time prophesying deaths, coups, sicknesses and other wicked and dangerous things in the country just to create fear and panic among the society. Such negative behaviours on the part of these unscrupulous and unconscionable doomsayers and so-called men of God, are reprehensible and totally absurd, ridiculous and incongruous.
REVEREND OWUSU
BEMPAH
For instance, the leader of the Glorious Word Power Ministries, Reverend Owusu Bempah, was said to have predicted that while the year 2023 would witness countless marriages and financial prosperity for those that remain steadfast in the Lord, there would also be coups and death of prominent individuals in Ghana. He further prophesied that local airlines could be involved in an accident that would shock the nation. He also predicted that the world might experience another serious disease like COVID. Besides, a prominent person from the Christian fraternity may lose his life. According to him, there would be a lot of accidents in the country this year. He further predicted that a lot of the youth would die this year.
“Lots of policemen will be caught in crossfire and die. Another prominent Ghanaian will go abroad to seek medical care and will not return. There will be a possible coup in the country and that the National Security and other state agencies should be on the alert to avert the overthrow of government,” he prophesied.
ISSUES OF NATIONAL SECURITY
Indeed, some of his prophecies border on national security, especially the coup plot and that should not be taken lightly. If for some reason you have seen issues that borders on security threat as a man of God, you can secretly advise government and the security apparatus to be on alert and not to compromise security instead of announcing that during a watch night service. Also, death is inevitable in one’s life and it will come when it has to. As a man of God, if you have seen that event coming through in the cause of the year, just pray to avert the situation instead of saying it publicly.
A WORD TO OUR
RELIGIOUS LEADERS
These so-called men of God, pastors and prophets are a big problem for this country and if we don’t find ways of checking some of their activities, they will eventually spell doom for us. Much as we need Christ and the word of God in our lives, that should be done in civility and tactfully instead of these crook and dangerous means by these charlatans and doomsayers.
This country must move forward and we need wise counselling, pieces of advice and prayers from religious leaders who have exemplified and established themselves in the profession and not pretenders who are hiding behind the Holy Bible to preach and predict dooms and other negativities that do not conform to the ethics of the religious profession but to set the clock of progress backwards.
MINISTRY OF CHIEFTAINCY AND RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS
The Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, needs to be proactive and sensitive in regulating and monitoring some of these negative activities of these splinter churches across the country by ensuring that they conform to laid down principles regarding their establishment and also to ensure that they will not engage in such issues to undermine national security but rather to unite the people for progress and national development.
Let me use this opportunity to wish my numerous readers and patrons a happy and prosperous New Year.
Contact email/WhatsApp of author:
ataani2000@yahoo.com
0277753946/0248933366
By Charles Neequaye
Today, I focus on the Apostolic Church International in Finland, as I continue with my description of institutions and personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The Apostolic Church International, Finland (or, Apostolic International Association Ry) was established in October 9, 2023. The Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments within the short time that it has been established in Finland, which must be highlighted.
History of the Church in Ghana
The Apostolic Church Ghana originated from the 1904–1905 Welsh revival, officially established in Ghana (then called Gold Coast) in 1935 following connections between a local prayer group in Asamankese (a town in southern Ghana), led by Peter Newman Anim, and the Apostolic Church, UK. There were historical splits in 1939 and 1953, but the Apostolic Church attained autonomy in 1985.
Today, the Church is headquartered in Accra. Last year (2025), it dedicated its new 10-storey headquarters, “The Apostolic Church Tower,” in Frafraha, Adenta West in Accra.
Activities of the Apostolic Church in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland conducts church service on Sundays. The service starts at 11a.m. in the morning and closes by 1 p.m. in the afternoon. There are no other activities during other days for now.
The Minister in charge of the church in Finland is also the Area Head of Italy Area. He is Pastor Daniel Kofi Addison who is the new Italy Area Head, and has just been transferred from UK South Area to Italy Area during the just-ended Council Meeting in March this year. Italy Area comprises Italy, which has 13 Assemblies, Germany, one Assembly, and Finland, one Assembly.
Elder Ebenezer Amoaning-Coffie is the Presiding Elder in charge of the Assembly in Finland. A Presiding Elder is responsible for day to day activities of the church (Assembly) and reports to the District Pastor, or in the absence of the District Pastor, reports to the Area Head.
Achievements
The Apostolic Church International, Finland was officially registered under the Finnish Law, guaranteeing freedom of worship and providing legal foundation for future growth. The church service is conducted in both English and Twi.
The church opens its doors to all people of every nation, especially Ghanaians who are in Finland and other African nationals. Now, the membership comprises Ghanaians, Nigerians and Sierra Leoneans.
The Church and the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the Apostolic Church is a religious body for Ghanaian migrants in Finland and other nationalities who want to worship with them for diversity and better intercultural and multicultural understanding.
Elder Amoaning-Coffie said that the main and primary aim of the church is to bring people closer to God. “We aim to win souls for Christ. We aim to preach the gospel to the world. By propagating the gospel to the people, we are hopeful that they will turn away from any ungodly ways and be good individuals in the community and in society in general”, he stated.
He said that everything is going well so far. A key challenge, however, is how to get more members especially the youth. As a new Assembly, we are in need of instrumentalists, for example. We pray to God Almighty to help us do His work, the Elder disclosed.
Integration
By its activities, the Apostolic Church is helping to ensure integration of its members well into the Finish society. This is important since social interaction and citizens’ well-being are an important part of the integration process in Finland.
As I mentioned some time ago, the role of migrant associations and groups such as the Apostolic Church acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
The landscape of the Ghanaian palate is shifting, and not necessarily for the better. In our bustling urban centres, from the streets of Accra to the suburbs of Kumasi, a quiet culinary revolution is taking place; one where the mortar and pestle are being replaced by the pizza oven and the deep fryer. This transition from traditional staple foods like fufu, banku, akple, kenkey, tuo zaafi, and ampesi toward “continental” dishes is more than just a change in appetite; it is a reflection of a deeper social struggle with identity and prestige.
The illusion of modernity
For many, “stepping out” for a meal has become synonymous with consuming foreign cuisine. There is an unspoken social hierarchy where a bowl of Abunuabunu is relegated to the village category, while burgers, pizzas are branded as prestigious choices. We have reached a stage where we equate foreign with modern and local with primitive.
This perception is a dangerous illusion. Our traditional dishes are marvels of culinary engineering complex, nutrient-dense, and deeply rooted in our history. When we choose a processed foreign import over a meal made from local tubers or fermented maize, we are not just changing our lunch; we are eroding the indigenous knowledge attached to our local ingredients and foods.
We need to turn the consumption of indigenous grains and tubers like millet, sorghum, and plantain into a statement of self-worth and national pride.
The cultural and health erosion
Every time a local dish disappears from a restaurant menu to make room for foreign fast food, we lose a piece of our cultural fabric. Traditional Ghanaian cooking is an art that requires patience and skill. By choosing the convenience of foreign fast food, we are raising a generation that may know the taste of a pepperoni pizza but cannot identify the rich, earthy profile of Prekese or the subtle tang of well-fermented dough dishes like corn porridge, banku, etew, abolo, agidi or kamfa, and kenkey.
Furthermore, we are at the crossroads of a nutrition transition. Replacing high-fiber, indigenous crops with calorie-dense but nutrient-poor foreign fast foods is driving a rise in lifestyle diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and liver disease. We are trading our longevity for 15-minutes convenience or unhealthy diet.
A call for culinary patriotism
It is time for us to appreciate, preserve, and promote our indigenous foods and culinary traditions. We need to be proud of our local dishes, ingredients and cooking methods, rather than relying heavily on foreign or imported foods. We must stop viewing our local delicacies as low-class and start treating our culinary heritage as the high-end gastronomy it truly is.
True sophistication does not come from imitating Western fast food; it comes from innovation and adding values to our own resources. We see glimpses of this potential in the rise of branded Sobolo and the creative use of gluten-free plantain flour in modern baking of flour-based dishes such as bread, cakes, biscuits and others. This is the path forward. We must elevate our local dishes, making them as accessible, affordable, presentable and trendy as any foreign alternative.
To the hospitality industry: Innovate or stagnate
Our hotels and high-end restaurants must lead the charge. They must stop relegating local dishes to the “traditional corner” of the buffet, and apply the same culinary finesse given to imported dishes to our Fante Fante, apapransa, aborbi tadi, fetritoto, akple, abolo, yakayeke, fufu, ampesi, kokonte, wasawasa, tubani, apapransa, mpotompoto, kelewele, aliha, brukutu, pito, and other local dishes. The industry must enhance customer experiences making eating local dishes the ultimate luxury experience for both tourists and residents alike. We must elevate the presentation of our foods by using modern plating techniques to show that a bowl of light soup can be as visually stunning as a French consommé. We need to reclaim our Ghanaian plate before it is too late.
To the policy makers: Let us encourage buying of local ingredients to promote the local food industry and economy. There should be educational programmes and talks about the nutritional and cultural benefits of local foods so that people understand their value.
We need to encourage serving traditional dishes at school programmes, parties, and celebrations instead of only fast foods,
To the Youth: Let us value and appreciate our traditional dishes instead of always choosing foreign foods. There must be balance in our choice of local and foreign dishes. Confidence in our culture encourages others to respect it too. Our local dishes can also be promoted by sharing pictures, recipes, and videos on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp to make them attractive and trendy.
Young citizens must learn from their parents and elders how to prepare local meals to keep the knowledge and cultural relevance alive. Local dishes can be modernised to appeal to younger generations and tourists.
Conclusion
We cannot afford to trade our heritage for foreign cuisines which are gaining grounds across the country at an alarming rate. We must disabuse our minds of the perception that anything foreign or imported is better than those locally made. Our health, economy, and identity are tied to the soil. It is time to stop apologising for our local flavours and start celebrating them. It is possible to embrace modernity without losing ourselves and our cultural identity. Let us make the Ghanaian kitchen the heart of our modern identity once again.
By: Marilyn Gadogbe
