The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Rt. Reverend Professor Joy Obiri Yeboah Mante, has called on stakeholders to ensure a drastic reduction in man-made disasters crippling Ghana’s development.
He mentioned discipline as one of the values of the Presbyterian Church, which should be instilled in the citizens, especially those entrusted into positions to contribute to the accelerated development of the country.
The Rt. Rev. Mante noted that the nation must insist on training the people, especially the youth, to do the right thing, using praise and sanctions as and when appropriate.
“The nation should, therefore, meticulously enforce disaster management code of conduct meant to discipline the mind and actions of the citizens,” he said.
Rt. Rev. Mantle said this in a message read on his behalf by the National Director for Ecumenical and Social Relations, Rev. E. N. Armah Ashitey, during a joint handing over of relief items worth thousands of Ghana cedis to the victims of the Appiatse Community explosion.
The gesture was a collaboration between the Hungarian Government and the PRESED, a statement signed by Mr Emmanuel Nyarko Ankamah, the Coordinator of PRESED, and copied the GNA, said.
It said the donation was an act of benevolence from the two bodies to commiserate with the families of the victims and the entire community of Appiatse.
The items included 40 bags of 50kg maize, 15 bags of 50kg Gari, 20 bags of 50kg beans, 120 gallons of palm oil, 100 buckets of groundnut paste, 40 boxes of tin fish, 60 boxes of tin tomatoes, 50 pieces each of baby mattress and mosquito nets and quantities of medical supplies.
Leading the team, the National Director for Development and Social Services at the PCG Head Office, Mrs Teiko Sarbah, said they were in the community to lend a helping hand to the residents to bounce back from the unfortunate incidence.
The PCG, through its social witnessing, had significantly contributed to the growth and development of Ghana, she said.
She mentioned social interventions such as Presbyterian schools, health facilities, agricultural stations, livelihood initiatives, and disaster management programmes spread across the country to empower the people, especially women and the youth.
On behalf of the Church, she prayed that God comforts the Chief and people and help them to overcome the situation.
The Hungarian Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Tamas Feher, said the Hungarian Help was to provide humanitarian support to the disadvantaged to improve their standards of living.
“The Hungarian Help, therefore, sees this as an opportunity to show compassion to alleviate the plight of the people,” he said.
He outlined some of the projects that the Hungarian Government had undertaken in Ghana including provision of health facilities, water systems, and agriculture projects.
“The Embassy is ever ready to support the victims to enable them to bounce back to normal life. We pray the almighty God helps the community to rebuild a new Appiatse that is strong to stand on its feet to change the narrative,” he said.
The Municipal Chief Executive of Prestea Huni Valley, Dr Isaac Dasmani, who received the items, expressed the community’s profound gratitude to the PCG and Hungarian Government for the support.
He said the Lord has been good to the victims of the Appiatse explosion because loads of people continued to support through donations, both in kind and cash, and pledged to distribute the items equitably.
The MCE appealed for a vehicle to convey the children to school saying out of a population of 964, about 40 per cent were school children whose education must be prioritised.
A truck carrying explosives detonated at Appiatse, a predominantly farming community in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality of the Western Region, killing at least 13 people and injuring hundreds, while many including children, were displaced.
