Kumasi, March 22, GNA- His Holiness, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmed, Supreme Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Movement Worldwide has expressed his gratitude to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene and chiefs of Ashanti for the support they have given to the Mission, since it came to Ghana especially in Ashanti.
He hoped the assistance and the co-operation would continue to grow from strength to strength to uplift the image of the Mission in the region.
His Holiness Hadhrat Ahmed gave this commendation when he paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on Sunday as part of his two-day working visit to the Ashanti region. The Supreme Head is in the region to assess the state of the various development programmes being undertaken by members of the Mission, especially in the areas of education and health.
The visit also gave him the opportunity to interact with members of the Mission to whip up their spiritual commitments and activities. His Holiness Hadhrat Ahmed thanked the Asantehene and the chiefs for parcels of land given to the Mission for the establishment of schools, mosques and hospitals in the various parts of Ashanti to promote human development.
Some of the chiefs, who spoke on behalf of Asanteman Council, said the programme of the Mission was in line with the council's activities initiated by the Asantehene.
Oheneba Adusei Poku, Akyempimhene of Kumasi said as partners in development, the council would continue to co-operate and collaborate with the Mission to help build the nation.
The Supreme Head later visited some schools of the Mission including Ahmadiyya Secondary School in Kumasi and Asokore near Effiduase where he interacted with the staff and management of the schools.
He also inspected the Movement's various hospitals established in the region, which included Ahmadiyya Homeopathic Clinic and Tahir Complex at Boadi in Kumasi, Ahmadiyya Hospitals at Kokofu and Asokore and unveiled plaques of the various mosques including the Kumasi Asafo multi-billion cedi mosque, which can contain 1,200 worshippers. At the Kokofu hospital, Dr Mohammed Bashir, the Medical
Superintendent, conducted His Holiness round the hospital. On Saturday, His Holiness Hadhrat Ahmed inaugurated the three-billion-cedi Ahmadiyya Muslim Movement mosque at Asafo in Kumasi. The three-storey mosque has offices, audio and video studio, a conference hall with 1,500 seating capacity, toilet facilities and a two-hour satellite dish.
After unveiling the plaque to inaugurate the mosque whose foundation was laid in 1970, the Supreme Head held the Zuhr and Asr prayers with the thousands of Ahmadis.