Ghana needs socio-cultural transformation

By Edmund Smith-Asante

The President of the Full Gospel Church International (FGCI), the Rt Rev. Samuel N. Mensah, has urged pastors to educate their congregations on the need to observe good sanitary practices.

He called for a socio-cultural transformation of the country led by the government, in partnership with religious, traditional and opinion leaders.


“As a nation we need a socio-cultural transformation. We have become a nation of apathy, a nation of low morale and  non-patriotic attitude: We are not ready to die for this nation called Ghana.”

Rt Rev. Mensah who was delivering the sermon at the church’s annual conference dubbed Giants Conference in Tema, said it was extremely difficult for any leader to move people with such negative attitude, and that no society or nation could develop with this kind of attitude.  

“Sunday after Sunday we have our churches filled to capacity. So what is wrong with us that as a people and as Christians we can have five million people in this nation defecating publicly,” he asked.

“One thing I know is that the only species that were created by God that can defecate publicly are the goats, the sheep, the donkeys – they are the animals. But for human beings to do this there is something wrong.

“We choke our gutters, create filth all over and we don’t see anything wrong. So what has been the benefit of the pulpit?”

Rt Rev. Mensah said Moses gave the Israelites sanitation laws when they were in the wilderness, and charged all pastors to let their preaching become relevant to address the dynamics of the society as well as its changing trends to help transform the nation.

“We as preachers must be heavenly minded and earthly relevant,” he said, urging pastors to make good use of their constituencies every Sunday.

“People will become what the pulpit will make them to become. So if our national leaders engage religious leaders with a laid-down plan, I believe in the next 10 years we will have a new breed of Ghanaians with great attitude in moving our nation forward,” he stated.

Writer’s email: Edmund.Asante@graphic.com.gh 

This was first published by the Daily Graphic on September 24, 2014