H.E. President John Dramani Mahama, represented by Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, Minister for the Interior, opened the 6th Annual Conference of the National Muslim Conference of Ghana at the National Mosque, Kanda.
He described the conference theme, ‘Towards Promoting Good Governance in Ghana – The Role of the Muslim Community,’ as appropriate and timely, and said he was happy the conference is examining the role of the Muslim community in promoting good governance, as governance affects all spheres of life.
H.E. the President of the Republic pledged to seek Observer Status for Ghana at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and pursue membership of the Islamic Development Bank.
According to him, a country does not need to be an Islamic country to obtain membership of the OIC, stating that he will seek the advice of the Attorney-General and the Minister for Foreign Affairs to enable him to grant Executive recognition to the National Muslim Conference of Ghana to enable it to obtain at least Observer Status at the Annual Conferences of the OIC.
He explained that the move would enable Ghana to benefit from the economic opportunities available to members and access better facilities during Hajj.
He commended Ghanaian Muslims for their unique unity, noting that Ghana is the only country in the world where the Ahlul Sunnah, the Shia, Ahmadiyya and Tijaniyya sit together to deliberate on matters for the common good. He described this as a milestone achieved under the leadership of the National Chief Imam. He said Muslims all over Africa and the world have something to learn from Ghanaian Muslim leaders.
The President assured the Muslim community that the government will continue to encourage and support the efforts of the National Chief Imam, the Imams of the four main Muslim sects and the Muslim Caucus of Parliament to keep Ghana as a shining example for other countries to emulate.