Duncan- Williams Weds Lobbyist

..Remarries after fresh divorce

ARCHBISHOP NICHOLAS Duncan-Williams, General Overseer of the Christian Action Faith Ministries (CAFM), has taken a new wife few months after finalizing divorce proceedings against his wife of 26-years and fellow pastor, Francisca Duncan-Williams.

Reports say the respected but controversial Pastor last Saturday married former US Assistant Trade Representative for Africa and one-time lobbyist for the Rawlings and Kufuor administrations, Ms. Rosa Whitaker, at a private ceremony in Maryland, USA.

Ms. Whitaker is presently the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Whitaker Group, a US lobbyist and consulting firm on AGOA and other African affairs.

Ms Whitaker, who reportedly earned US$300,000 as an Advisor to the Ghanaian government on AGOA in 2005, set up the Washington-based Whitaker Group after exiting the U.S Government on December 20, 2002.

Duncan-Williams and his first wife, Francisca, have been entangled in a murky divorce which had been a source of concern for some members of the CAFM.

Divorce proceedings between the two leaders of CAFM came to an end last year after several years of bitter media accusations and an earlier divorce in 1999.

The two remarried after the initial 1999 divorce in 2001 after notable Ghanaians and African-American Pastor, Bishop T. D. Jakes, had intervened.

Four years later and in 2005, both walked out of the marriage, with the Bishop citing irreconcilable differences as the source in his divorce pleadings.

Attempts to settle the divorce proceedings out of court failed, with murky details of the marriage playing out in the media glare and the US-based elder children of the couple joining the fight against their mother, whom they accused of mistreating their father and being the source of their marital problems.

In a letter read by his deputy at CAFM, Bishop James, on his behalf to the congregation in 2006, Bishop Duncan-William said “the challenges in my marriage are personal and shall remain private for the sake of our children and loved ones”, noting however that “the decision on my part was not taken in a haste without years of prayer, best efforts and Christian counselling.”

In reference to his earlier separation from Francisca, also a Reverend Minister, the Archbishop said, “As many of you know, my wife and I parted in 2001. After much prayer and counselling, I accepted her back with the understanding that we would give ourselves an additional two years to make the marriage work”.

He explained that “instead of two years, we have remained together for four years. Unfortunately, the broken bone is not healing and the pain is increasing”.

The un-healing bone was eventually cut off and permanently sealed by last year’s divorce.