The Church and Ghana's Drive toward Democratic Consolidation and Maturity

Abstract

Ghanaians are regarded as notoriously “churchical,” and church activities are organized and attended by many Ghanaians almost every day of the week. A survey conducted by the Ghana Evangelism Committee on religions in Ghana in 2008 showed that 62 percent of Ghanaians are churchgoers. A comprehensive demographic study of more than two hundred countries highlights the tremendous presence of the church in many parts of the world. Indeed, there are 2.18 billion Christians of all ages around the world, representing nearly a third of the estimated 2010 global population of 6.9 billion.1 The church therefore has a huge presence in Ghana, solving the spiritual, physical, and socioeconomic needs of its members. The annals of Ghana's political history attest to the fact that the church has also played a pivotal role in governance and democratic consolidation. At the minimum, “the bulk of state or government officials and personnel has been, and are, Christians, whether it is in democratic political regimes or military regimes.”2 Beyond this, the church has, since independence, been directly or indirectly connected with Ghana's democratization process and contributed immensely toward the nation's drive toward democratic maturity.