The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC) opened its 2025 Annual Plenary Assembly in Damongo, the Savannah Regional capital, on Monday, November 10th. The assembly, held at the Unity Center Conference Hall, focuses on the theme “A Synodal Church at the Service of Justice and Peace in Ghana.”
This year’s gathering follows the 2024 assembly in Obuasi, Ashanti Region, which centered on “Jubilee Year: A Time to Proclaim Christ, Hope for the Church and Ghana.”
Among the dignitaries in attendance were Savannah Regional Minister Hon. Salisu Bi-Awuribe, a representative of the Overlord of the Gonja Kingdom (Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale I), NUGDPA, the Local Council of Churches, Damongo’s Muslim community, and the National Laity Council.
In his keynote address, GCBC President Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi explained synodality as a spiritual attitude rather than a bureaucratic process, emphasizing dialogue over decree, participation over isolation, and communion over control. He addressed critical national issues including the socio-political landscape, electoral tensions, environmental degradation, illegal mining, chieftaincy disputes, election monitoring, civic education, and peacebuilding in conflict zones.
Speaking on illegal mining, Rev. Gyamfi painted a grim picture: “The scourge of galamsey continues to corrode both the land and the moral soul of our nation. As of 2023, over 60 percent of Ghana’s rivers and streams were polluted, thirty-four forest reserves compromised and more than 4,700 hectares of forest destroyed. This devastation is not merely ecological, it is a moral and social tragedy.”
He also highlighted ongoing chieftaincy conflicts, particularly the Bawku crisis, which he described as “among the most protracted and devastating,” having claimed between 200 and 300 lives since hostilities resumed in late 2021.
Savannah Regional Minister Hon. Salisu Bi-Awuribe commended the Catholic Church for hosting the assembly in the Savannah Region. “It’s refreshing that the Church is having its Synodal meeting in a young region like Savannah to discuss issues affecting not only its members but the people as a whole,” he remarked.
The Minister further called on the Catholic Church to continue investing in the Savannah Region, particularly in education, health, and other aspects of development.
The assembly, which commenced on November 7th, will conclude with a closing ceremony at St. Anne’s Cathedral in Damongo on Friday, November 14th, 2025.
