Government to create first national database of shrines and religious sites – Minister
The government has established a multi-sectoral working group to create Ghana’s first comprehensive database of shrines and other religious sites across the country, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, has announced.
The Minister disclosed this on Thursday when he appeared before Parliament’s Government Assurances Committee during a public hearing at Parliament House.
Mr. Ibrahim said the exercise is intended to determine the total number of shrines nationwide and, importantly, develop a clear legal definition of what constitutes a shrine.
“Mr. Chairman, the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs has set up a working group comprising officers from Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Research, Statistics and Information Management Directorates to create the database on shrines and other religious sites in the country,” he told the Committee.
He said the working group would receive support from the various Regional Coordinating Councils to undertake the exercise.
Describing the task complex, Mr Ibrahim said counting shrines would not be straightforward because they do not all take the same physical form.
“It is not simple and straightforward,” he said.
“This is simply because a shrine is not just one thing. Even as we sit here, if I want to count a shrine, I need to be given power. When I see you, I will remove your shirt and check you and do body check. So clearly it is not simple and straightforward,” he added.
Mr Ibrahim, who is also the National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Banda, said some individuals in various communities claim to operate shrines, making it necessary for the state to establish clear guidelines.
“If you go to certain communities, somebody will come there and say he has a shrine and maybe begin to be doing things. No, that is another form of religion, but we are in charge of religion,” he said.
According to the Minister, the committee’s first responsibility will be to agree on what constitutes a shrine, given their spiritual nature.
“The nature of shrines will have to be agreed on. That is why a committee with expertise has been put in place,” he said.
Mr. Ibrahim stressed that shrines are not limited to buildings or physical structures.
“A shrine can be a pen. It can be a photo, a picture. It can be anything. And these are spiritual issues. The lawyers may disagree with you. So, we need to have a very firm foundation as to what a shrine is,” he stated.
The Minister said the database would provide government, traditional authorities and researchers with a clearer picture of religious practice in Ghana, while serving as a basis for policy formulation, regulation and planning within the chieftaincy and religious affairs sector.
He did not provide a timeline for completing the exercise but said the working group had already been constituted and would begin working with the Regional Coordinating Councils immediately.
Source: GNA