Over 2,000 churches in Accra operating without registration – Ahmed Ibrahim

Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has disclosed that although more than 2,200 churches were officially registered in the Greater Accra Region as of 2025, thousands of others across the country are operating without formal registration.

Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, the minister outlined government’s plans to introduce a digital registry system to better organise and track churches nationwide.

The move, he explained, is part of efforts to bring clarity and structure to a religious sector that has expanded rapidly over the years.

“We will establish a formal collaboration with the Registrar General’s Department, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Ministry of Justice to assess records of churches registered as companies limited by guarantee,” Ibrahim told Parliament.

According to him, the new system will not only centralise data but also make it easier for authorities to verify and monitor church operations.

Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) will be required to keep updated local records, while churches themselves will have access to a digital platform to update their operational status when necessary.

“Metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies will maintain local registers of churches within their jurisdictions, while the proposed digital platform will allow churches to update their operational status in real time,” he said.

Regional survey data show that about 98.1 per cent of churches in Greater Accra operate as single-owner entities, with only a small fraction affiliated with larger church organisations.

Although the Registrar General’s Department does not provide a consolidated national figure, estimates suggest that the total number of churches across Ghana runs into several thousands.

Ibrahim stressed that the initiative is not about restricting religious freedom, but about ensuring proper documentation and transparency in a fast-growing sector.

“This initiative aims to ensure accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date data on churches, which will be critical for governance, planning, and regulatory oversight,” Ibrahim said.

Data from the Ghana Statistical Service indicate that religion continues to play a central role in Ghanaian life.

The 2021 Population and Housing Census shows that 71.2 per cent of the population identifies as Christian, with 31.6 per cent belonging to Pentecostal or Charismatic churches, 18.4 per cent Protestant, 10 per cent Catholic, and 11.2 per cent other Christian denominations.

Once operational, the proposed digital registry will be linked directly to the Registrar General’s database, enabling authorities to verify registered churches and enhance transparency.

“This is a timely step toward modernising our administrative systems and strengthening accountability in the religious sector, which has experienced rapid growth in recent decades,” he said.

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