Ministry to set up Conflict Resolution Desk

Koforidua, Aug.27, GNA- The Ministry of the Interior is to set up a Conflict Resolution Desk(CRD), which would have personnel located in every district as part of the efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts amicably.

The Minster of Interior, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, disclosed this at the 51st biennial conference of the Connexional Christ Little Band of the Methodist Church at Koforidua on Friday.

He explained that the move was to consolidate the peace and tranquility being enjoyed in the country and also to enable the people to learn how to manage conflicts amicably through the knowledge they had acquired.

The Interior Minister reiterated government's commitment to endeavour to uphold peace and unity in the country and called on Christians to stand up on their values to stamp out the negative tendencies that were gradually eating into the fabric of the society. He said the need for peace and stability in the country for development was paramount, saying "every Ghanaian, irrespective of his status or background, has the responsibility to ensure that the peace is maintained."

Papa Owusu-Ankomah observed that the church on the continent had not been left out from the many conflicts that had inflicted pains on the society "and that underscored the need for the church to stand up to its values to dominate national issues."

He noted that intolerance on the part of many people had brought about unhealthy utterances in the Ghanaians society, saying "we as a government, had shown the example of tolerating others who express their opinion, no matter how derogatory, and that has been the strength of the government".

The Eastern Regional Minister Yaw Barimah, said the state and the church were development partners and therefore, there was the need to strengthen the cordial relations to collaborate with, and complement each other for the benefit of the citizenry.

He said the prime concern of government was to reduce poverty and improve upon the standard of living of the people and stressed the need for the church to make religion beneficial to humanity.

"The church must be development-oriented by focusing on programmes and welfare services for members to ensure that the needy receive assistance, which could relieve them to complement the government's effort in that direction," he stated.

Mr. Barimah called on the church to use the pulpit to fight indiscipline and social vices that tend to hinder the development of communities and the nation and commended the Methodist Church for it's known contribution to the benefit of humanity in Ghana. He appealed to the conference to educate the delegates on the need to embrace the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The Connexional President of the Christ Little Band, Mr Joseph Kwame Osei, in his welcoming address, said the theme of the conference: "Jesus the savior of mankind", was to remind members on the bases of their calling and faith.