Ghana’s record as the second most peaceful country in Sub-Saharan Africa and the most peaceful in West Africa, according to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, is a remarkable achievement that must be guarded jealously and without compromises at all costs.
On the 2022 Global Peace Index, Ghana remained the second most peaceful country in Sub-Saharan Africa, trailing only Mauritius (GPI).
The resource-rich country was also ranked the 40th most peaceful in the world by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, attainable, and tangible measure of human well-being and progress.
The GPI covers 163 countries comprising 99.7 per cent of the world’s population, using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, and measures the state of peace across three domains: the level of Societal Safety and Security; the extent of Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict; and the degree of Militarisation.
Dr Bawumia stated that Ghana’s unique acceptance and peaceful co-existence is the envy of many across the world and must be guarded jealously.
“In addition to the economic and development issues that the church must be concerned with is the need for the church and pulpit to be used as instruments for a peaceful nation building. According to the recent Global Peace Index, Ghana maintains its position as the second most peaceful country in sub-Saharan Africa and the most peaceful in West Africa.
“This is a remarkable feat that must be guarded jealously without any compromises no matter what. Both the Bible and Quran place much emphasis on the matter of peace. And it is gratifying to note that in Ghana we have such a religious tolerant and acceptable society that makes it effortless for a Christian priest to worship with Muslims and vice versa, to the point that a Muslim Chief Imam could celebrate his 100th years anniversary with Christians in the church,” he said while launching the 175th anniversary celebrations of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church Ghana (EPCG) in Accra on Sunday, July 31, 2022.
Citing himself as an example to buttress his point of peaceful co-existence, Vice President Bawumia continued:
“We live in a society where a mother and some children could be Christians and a father and some children could be Muslims. As a young boy at Sakasaka primary school in Tamale I was born by a Methodist mother (then Susuana Mariama) and a Muslim father. Growing up I was an active member of the Methodist Boys’ Brigade until my mum changed to Islam.
“I suspect I am the only Muslim member of the Boys’ Brigade. Till date, out of my sibling size of seventeen (17), nine (9) are Christians and eight (8) Muslims. That is the beauty of the religious acceptance in Ghana,” he revealed.
