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The call to serve is a gift from God—Most Rev. Attakruh
The new Catholic Bishop of Sekondi -Takoradi, Most Rev. John Baptist Attakruh, has reminded Catholics that “the call to serve is a gift from God.”
“My happiness will be to discover that every day, I am there serving your needs.” he assured.
Bishop Attakruh made the call, when he delivered the Homily at his maiden mass at the Our Lady Star of the Sea Cathedral in Takoradi,following his Episcopal Ordination and Installation, as the fifth Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sekondi-Takoradi, recently.
He called on the Catholicsto open their hearts to serve, their brothers and sisters “because Christ loves those who serve, not those who are served.”
“My call to service includeproclaiming the Gospel of Christ, celebrating the sacraments, loving the faithful, learning from you and caring for those in need.” he stressed.
He, however, asked the faithful not to sit on the fence and be mere observers but they should fully engage as they seek to lay the foundation for the next jubilee celebration of the diocese.
Bishop Attakruh promised to be a brother and father because “together we all share the great task of spreading the good news of God’s love.”
He explained his episcopal motto, ‘Strengthen Your Brethren’, saying he wanted to be seen as someone who empowered others, rekindled apostolic joy in order to overcome all types of apathy and paralysis.
He continued “The joy of the gospel that never fades in the face of adversity is known as apostolic joy. The apostolic joy is a sign of the Church’s love and unity. It’s also an indication that the Church is becoming more powerful. God isn’t a sad God. We are Easter people, and our song is Alleluia.”
He said that as the body of Christ, Catholics could not allow apathy to fester as God’s word encouraged Christians to retain an open mind and accept unity in diversity.
“Let our differences not divide us. God’s gifts aren’t intended for specific people and Numbers 11:25-29 clearly shows that God’s gifts are not limited to a single group of people.
“The sin of jealousychokes out Prophetic words. It only succeeds in causing dissatisfaction and dividing people. Jesus teaches his disciples tolerance and acceptance . As a result, Jesus advised us to seek out those who had God’s spirit and talent.”Most Rev.Attakruh said.
Quoting from Revelations, he admonished the religious to always remember their first love for their vocation, with the energy and motivation to respond to the call of God.
To the faithful, he said, “In this era,you cannot be lukewarm because being lukewarm is the opposite of bearing witness which is the core mandate of all Christians.
“You, therefore, need to be committed to your married life, family life and workplace. Again, you should be committed to the values of the Kingdom of God, selfless sacrifice, love, peace and charity.”
Present at the thanksgiving mass were Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. Dominic Nyarko Yeboah,Bishop of Techiman, Most Rev. Joseph Francis Kweku Essien, Bishop of Sefwi Wiawso, Most Rev. Peter Kwaku Atuahene, Bishop of Goaso and Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani, as well as other dignitaries.
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, TAKORADI
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EC to conduct elections in selected polling stations at Ablekuma North
As part of its commitment to resolve the impass egarding he Ablekuma North Constituency Parliamentary Election, the Electoral Commission(EC) yesterday, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, met with the representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The meeting, which was a follow-up to an earlier meeting held on Thursday, June 12, 2025, provided both parties the opportunity to brief the commission on any new
developments regarding the said constituency.
The parties informed the Commission that their positions put forward at the last mecting remained unchanged.
The NDC held the view that the election should be rerun thirty -seven
(37) Polling Stations because scanned Pink Sheets from 37 Polling Stations which were used to
collate the results, were provided the NPP.
The NPP was of the view that the results from three (3) outstanding Poling Stations be collated and a winner declared since the NDC Agents had verified and confirmed
the scanned Poling Station results they presented.
According to the EC, it is important for the public to understand that the issue in contention has to do with
the fact that 37 Pink Sheets provided by the NPP and used to colate the results were scanned copies.
“The Public may recall that Political Party supporters besieged our Collation Centre and
destroyed a number of the Pink Sheets for the Ablekuma North Parliamentary Elcction during the collation of results following the December 7 Gencral Election,” the EC added.
After extensive deliberations, the Commission informed the Political Parties that it would
proceed to rerun the election in 19
of the 37 Polling Stations.
The Commission arrived at the decision to rerun the election in the underlisted Polling Stations because, the scanned Polling Station resuits used for the collation, though approved by Agents of both political Parties, were not verified by the Presiding Officers responsible for the Polling
Stations.
According to the EC, it is instructive to note that the Commission was able to secure the Presiding Officers
verification and confirmation for 18 scanned Polling Station results-
Agents of both parties also approved same.
The election will be held on Friday, July 11, 2025
The Commission has further urged the Ghana Police Service to provide the needed security to ensure a safe environment for the conduct of the election.
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The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Addresses Parliament.
The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Emelia Arthur has disclosed that in 2021, Ghana was issued a yellow card by the European Union after being identified as a non-compliant third country in the fight against illegal fishing activities.
According to the Minister, the government, through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, has engaged the European Union(EU) through the Ghana European Union dialogue, to address the concerns raised by the European Union(EU).
The engagement included the implementation of an action plan, periodic update report and validation exercises.
“We are happy to report that Ghana has made significant progress in resolving key concerns, primarily related to lapses in the regulatory framework, fisheries enforcement, and traceability,” she stated.
Also, she emphasized that a review of pending actions indicates that the enactment of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Bill, along with its accompanying regulations, remains critical to enhancing fisheries governance in Ghana.
She further informed the House that the Ministry has already submitted the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Bill, 2025, to the House.
The bill was later referred to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Cocoa Affairs for consideration.
The Minister made this statement in response to a question posed by Member of Parliament for Atwima Mponua, Seth Osei-Akoto, regarding the immediate measures the ministry is implementing to sanitize Ghana’s fishing sector in the light of the European Union’s warning that Ghana could face a potential red card.
