The Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Shani Copper-Zubida, on March 10th, 2020, paid a courtesy call on the Chairman, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, at the Headquarters at La in Accra.
The meeting was part of the Ambassador’s official visits to key Christian denominations in the country to establish relations with them and explore possible areas of collaboration.
Ambassador Copper-Zubida was received at the Head Office by the Chairman, the General Secretary, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw-Kumi-Larbi and the International Missions Director (IMD), Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo. Also present were the Personal Assistant to the Chairman, Pastor Benedict Eghan, and the Director of Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS), Elder Richard Amaning.
During the interactions, Apostle Eric Nyamekye briefed Ambassador Copper-Zubida on the church’s community transformation agenda; dubbed “Vision 2023”, which forms part of her strategic vision for the next five years.
Among other social interventions, the Chairman mentioned the construction of correctional facilities by the church to decongest overcrowded prisons in Ghana and provide formal education as well as skills training for prison inmates. “These correctional facilities would serve as a place where prison inmates are reformed and reintegrated into society as responsible citizens, and not a place to harden them. So, we will seek to work on their hearts (share the gospel message of Christ with them), minds (provide them with formal education) and hands (give them skills training),” he said.
On possible areas of collaboration between the Israeli Embassy and the CoP, Apostle Nyamekye shared with Ambassador Copper-Zubida the church’s plan to establish irrigational facilities in the northern part of the country. This, he said, would provide people living in the northern regions, who are predominantly farmers, favourable conditions for farming throughout the year.
“The church has over 290,000 members in the northern part of the country. We are confident that constructing these irrigational facilities will promote agriculture in the north and empower them to have sustainable livelihoods,” he said.
Although Israel has only 20% arable land; that is, the geography of the country is not naturally conducive for farming, the country has emerged as a major exporter of fresh farm produce and a world-leader in agricultural technologies such as irrigation farming.
The Chairman, therefore, appealed to the Israeli Ambassador to partner with the church to ensure that the irrigation project becomes a reality.
Ambassador Copper-Zubida, on her part, commended the church for the laudable initiative and pledged her country’s support to the project by making available rich expertise in irrigation farming to the church in order to ensure the success of the project.