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Govt urged to tackle plastic waste menace

The Global Evangelical Church has called on the government to take steps to reduce or eliminate the menace of non-degradable plastic use in Ghana.

Rt. Rev. Dr Setorwu Kwadzo Ofori, Moderator of the Global Evangelical Church (GEC), who made this call, said the yearly recurrence of devastating floods, caused by choking of drains by the improper disposal of plastics, was self-inflicted and preventable.

These plastic wastes, which were often burnt, results in air pollution and death, adding that animals die after swallowing non-digestible plastics.

The Moderator, who was delivering the keynote address at the 2019 Mini-Synod of the Global Evangelical Church held at GEC Adonai Chapel, Madina, said the church was very much concerned about the continued inability of the country to effectively implement strategies that could address the situation.

Rt. Rev. Dr Ofori said plastics remained an indispensable commodity in the global consumer economy, “they also constitute a major threat to environmental sustainability because of difficulties in their effective disposal”. 

He said, “As a church, we are willing to support government and other stakeholders in nationwide public awareness and educational campaigns to encourage positive attitudinal and behaviour change toward disposal of waste.”  

On the theme of synod, the Moderator urged delegates and the church, to live for Christ and stick to the faith, adding, “We profess in Christ Jesus; a life of holiness and righteousness, persevering through all circumstances in obedience to the will of God.”

Rt. Rev. Dr Ofori stated that, “As Christians, the cross remind us to keep our faith in God, commit to the works of God and ultimately a life in eternity. The cross, according to Luke 23:43, offered an opportunity for a criminal who was condemned to die, to meet Jesus and receive forgiveness and assurance of life in eternity.”

Rev. Raphael Mac Attih, Synod Clerk of the church, said the church in collaboration with the Global Theological Seminary of the church, has initiated training workshops on ‘Biblical Peace Building and Conflict Resolution’.

He said efforts were also being made to train potential ministers living abroad via distance learning programmes, and a system has been put in place to train pastoral students living and working in the USA and the UK.

The synod deliberated on issues affecting the church, the Christian community and the nation at large, and outdoored a 10-year Strategic Plan (2019 – 2028) for the growth and development of the church.

At the end of synod, the church in a communiqué was grateful to God for peace prevailing in the nation, but bemoaned insecurity such as kidnappings and armed robberies, and urged the government to take the appropriate steps to ensure security for the citizenry.

The synod also commended the Central Bank and the government for their intervention in the financial sector.

It urged them to speed up efforts in assisting depositors to redeem their locked-up investments, in order to alleviate the suffering that innocent families and businesses were going through.

FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, KUMASI

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