Reverend Father Andrew Campbell, Parish Priest of the Christ the King Church has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to remain resolute in the implementation of his pro-poor policies and programmes.
He told the President that he (President) was on the right path, thus, he should not be distracted by criticisms but stay focused in executing and delivering his transformational agenda for the country.
Rev. Father Campbell said this when he and a delegation of members of the Church Council called on the President at the Flagstaff House in Accra on Wednesday.
Lauding government for the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy, he said, “as people involved in providing support to several needy children to get education, we are well placed to assess the impact of such a transformative policy on most families in Ghana, and also offer some comment.”
“Please, do not be disillusioned by your critics and the implementation difficulties you will encounter. Sir, you are on the right path and do have our full support.”
Rev. Father Campbel further commended President Akufo-Addo on his decision to end illegal mining, which was fast degrading the environment and urged him not to relent on that decision.
“Please see it to the very end, which includes restoring degraded environment, including the water bodies and the vegetation, and facilitating the young ones involved to get skills training and sustainable employment.
“Importantly, make sure that Ghana never experiences this menace again by enforcing rules and regulations without fear or favour,” he added.
Rev. Father Campbell also spoke highly of the President’s programmes on Planting for Food and Jobs, and the One-District-One-Factory initiative, saying that, “we are very interested in these programmes because of their employment generation potential, especially for our youth”.
He called on the President to remain steadfast on his resolve to eliminate corruption, bribery and indiscipline from the Ghanaian society.
“We urge you not to look at persons, positions, relations and status in enforcing rules and regulations. This is the only way that the habit of discipline will be built.
“Additionally, Sir, as you punish wrong doing, try to reward right or honest behaviour, especially in public office. This, we believe, is a sure path to bringing about change.
On his part, President Akufo-Addo stressed the need for an effective collaboration between the church and the state.
He called for an interface between the church and state actors to enable the state to provide the needed support to the church.
“The manner in which we can help must be concrete and that is why it is important that we engage further because the initiatives that you are embarking on would ultimately be in the interest of the Ghanaian people,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo told the delegation that the Planting for Food and Jobs was the start of a systematic line of programmes to arrest the declining fortune of the country in the agriculture sector.
The ultimate aim, the President said, was to ensure that the large sums of money used in importing food items was halted as well as ensuring that there was creation of jobs for the youth.
