He said although the country was going through economic challenges, the government was determined to ensure that none of the projects was abandoned.

Mr Agyemang-Manu gave the assurance at the opening of the 2022 consultation forum of the Department of Development and Social Services of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana at Abokobi, the district capital of the Ga East Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.

The four-day event will afford managers of the 59 health institutions of the church and the six agriculture stations and relief organisations the opportunity to take stock of the previous year’s activities and chart a new way forward.

The occasion will also be used to adopt policy decisions aimed at injecting modernisation into its activities, as well as share decisions taken at the conference with policy makers to promote good agricultural and health practices in communities where their facilities operate.

Economic challenges

Mr Agyemang-Manu stated that the current economic hardship in the country was not normal and, therefore, the support of everybody was needed to bring the situation under control.

He expressed confidence that the efforts of the President would yield positive results and that the crisis would soon be over.

Mr Agyemang-Manu said the economic challenges were not domestically inflicted but were part of the global economic difficulties.

He commended the Presbyterian Church of Ghana for its track record in social services to enhance the socio-economic development of the country.

The minister said the government recognised the contribution of the church towards the provision of basic and tertiary education, as well as health and agriculture.

Mr Agyemang-Manu said though there was steady progress towards improving the health and the well-being of Ghanaians, more efforts were needed to adequately meet the demands of the people.

He lauded the Presbyterian Church of Ghana for establishing churches in rural areas.

Social services

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt Reverend Professor Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, in his opening remarks, said the provision of social services was a core mandate Jesus Christ gave to humanity; hence, the need to support the spiritual and social needs of communities in which the church operated.

He said the church established its health mission 138 years ago at Aburi in the Eastern Region, which had benefitted thousands of people living in other rural areas in the country.

Rt. Rev. Mante stated that the church was currently having a total workforce of about 4000 in its health sector.