ANOTHER MUSLIM PUSHES FOR CHURCH REGULATION.

This is an agenda that should have been raised while in opposition or clearly articulated in your party manifesto — not introduced after assuming power.

Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim, Local Government Minister, raised the agenda in Ghana’s parliament.

CHURCH REGULATION IN GHANA — POLICY BALANCE OR SELECTIVE SCRUTINY?
A national conversation is emerging — and it must be addressed honestly.
When state actors speak broadly about regulating religious organisations, but policy momentum narrows almost exclusively toward the Christian Church, questions of balance naturally arise.
Ghana is a multi-faith republic.
If regulation is necessary, it must be faith-neutral — not faith-focused.

MANIFESTO SILENCE — NOW POLICY LOUDNESS

If sweeping church regulation formed part of the governing vision, why was it absent from campaign manifestos?
Democratic ethics demand transparency before power — not boldness after power.
Mandate must precede legislation.
Otherwise, citizens are left asking:
Was this always the plan — or is this an emerging agenda?

PERCEPTION IN POLITICS MATTERS

Another growing public concern is the perception — right or wrong — that regulatory zeal appears disproportionately energised when Christian institutions are in view.
In a nation where Christianity constitutes the majority of faith expression, policy selectivity will always attract scrutiny.

The government must not only be fair — it must be seen to be fair.

A WORD TO CHRISTIAN LEADERS IN GOVERNMENT
Christian MPs.
Christian Ministers.
Christian Appointees.
Representation is stewardship.
If the Church becomes the primary regulatory target, your voice can not be absent from the national table.
Silence in moments of structural policy shaping is never neutral.

CHURCH AND STATE — THE PROPER ORDER

Let it be clear:
The Church is not above the law.
Where criminality occurs — prosecute.
Where fraud occurs — litigate.
Where abuse occurs — punish.
But regulate crime — not creed.
Address illegality — not identity.

WHY THE CHURCH MATTERS NATIONALLY

Before state expansion, the Church built:
Schools.
Hospitals.
Training colleges.
Rural missions.
Social interventions.
The Church has functioned not merely as a worship centre — but as a nation-building partner.
Engagement must, therefore, reflect respect, not suspicion.

ELECTORAL MEMORY IS REAL

Policy decisions carry political consequences.
If any government advances legislation widely perceived as discriminatory or selectively enforced, democratic response will follow lawfully through the ballot.
Faith communities vote.
Quietly — but decisively.

THE CORE QUESTION
This is the national tension now surfacing:
Is church regulation about accountability —
or about control?
Is it about public order —
or institutional discomfort with Christian influence?
Ghanaians are watching carefully.
The path forward is simple:
Equal liberty.
Equal scrutiny.
Equal protection.
For when regulation appears imbalanced,
trust erodes —
and when trust erodes,
national cohesion trembles.
The Church must remain vigilant, wise, and civically engaged —
cooperative with the state, yet uncompromised in mandate.

Rev Emmanuel Boachie PRESIDENT, Centre for Biblical-Historical Christianity Defence, COUNTRY DIRECTOR, Awesome Bible College and HEADPASTOR, Souls’ Pasture Church, Kumasi ACHIASEoffBarekeseRoad+233247216666/reveb2017@gmail.com.