Ghana marked its first-ever National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving on July 1st, 2025, coinciding with the Republic Day celebration. The event, under the theme “Reflect, Reset and Renew for National Prosperity,” aimed to unite Ghanaians in prayer and gratitude for the nation’s progress.
Special prayer services took place across the country. At the Forecourt of the State House, Cardinal Appiah Turkson led the Christian session, while the National Chief Imam, Sheik Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, led Muslim prayers at the Ghana National Mosque in Kanda.
However, traditional leaders were noticeably absent.
Renowned fetish priest, Nana Kwaku Bonsam, expressed deep disappointment over the exclusion of traditional priests from the national event. Speaking from Akomadan Afrancho in the Ashanti Region, he questioned why the government failed to involve practitioners of traditional religion in such a significant national moment.
Although he refused to blame President John Dramani Mahama directly, Nana Kwaku Bonsam pointed fingers at the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, for what he described as a deliberate oversight.
He further noted that some fetish priests have supported political parties during campaigns, but once those parties win power, they sideline the very people who helped them.
Nana Kwaku Bonsam called for equal recognition for all faiths in future national events, stressing that traditional religion deserves a seat at the table in matters of national unity and thanksgiving.
