The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), during its 2025 Annual Plenary Assembly, under the theme “A Synodal Church at the Service of Justice and Peace in Ghana,” has been called to renew its commitment to dialogue amid rising inter-ethnic conflicts in the Savannah Region.
In an address by Most Rev. Peter Paul Yelezuome Angkyier, Bishop of Damongo, he highlighted recent violence in areas like Gbinyir-Kalba-Sawla-Bole despite surface-level harmony.
He noted, “On the surface, there appears to be peace but inter-ethnic and settler-indigenous conflicts do exist and the recent Gbinyir-Kalba-Sawla- Bole conflict is a clear example. These critical relationship issues in the diocese call for continuous dialogue among ethnic groups for peaceful co-existence.”
Bishop Angkyier also stressed that promoting fair dealings and the common good is a collective duty of all baptized Catholics, stating, “Where there is no justice, peace has no chance at all”.
He added, “…it is important to bring to your attention that there cannot be any meaningful development without peace. Let us therefore work together to promote peace, harmony and unity in our communities across the area of the diocese.”
He also praised the Damongo diocese’s peacebuilding efforts, noting that the Unity Centre, which was built after the 1994 ethnic clashes, helped inspire Ghana’s National Peace Council.
He, therefore, urged chiefs and political leaders to collaborate in fostering harmony, warning that uncontrolled land sales and resource exploitation threaten sustainable development.
“The increase in value of land and uncontrolled sale of land is a potential danger for development in the diocese. If not properly managed, it will lead to a situation where we all suffer the consequences of the plundering of our natural resources by a few”, he said.
The 2025 Plenary Assembly of the GCBC marks the second time in 21 years that Damongo has hosted the national gathering, following the 2004 assembly under the diocese’s first Bishop, Most Rev. Philip Naameh.
By: Veronica Sena Amenya//Newswatchg.com
