ZICDS, Alhaji Ben Abdallah Banda (right) and others in a group photograph
The Coordinator of Zongo and Inner-Cities Development Secretariat(ZICDS) under the Office of the President, Alhaji Ben Abdallah Banda has stated that education is a necessity for the girl child to enable her to make a meaningful contribution to national development.
According to him, educating and protecting the girl child, and deliberately creating opportunities for her is crucial for national development.
Alhaji Banda made this statement when he spoke as the Special Guest of Honor at the twenty-fifth Annual Quranic Celebration organized by Sheikh Luqman Bamba, the Director of Bambawiyya Islamic Institute in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital on the theme; “Role of Women in Nation Building.”
Sheikh Luqman Bamba is a distinguished Scholar in Islamic Jurisprudence who has over the past 25 years organized this annual programme to celebrate the importance of the Holy Quran.
The programme over the past few years has promoted peaceful coexistence, community development, women empowerment, and support for the less- privileged among others across the country.
Addressing the gathering on the theme, Alhaji Banda touched on the role women played in the stability, spread, and progress of Islam during the time of Prophet Mohammed.
“The contribution of women such as Khadijat bint Khuwailid, A’ishat bint Abubakar, Ummu Sulaymi, Sumayya, and many others towards the development of Islam is something that cannot be overemphasized.”
He told the gathering about the important roles women are playing in President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia’s government.
“The appointment of the first female Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare for two consecutive terms is something that had never happened in the history of Ghana,” he stressed.
He noted that currently, about 36 percent of Deputy Ministers in the New Patriotic Party administration are women, which had also not happened before.
The coordinator who was a former Member of Parliament for Offinso South Constituency in the Ashanti Region had the privilege of launching a book on “Fiqh” (Islamic Jurisprudence) authored by Sheikh Luqman Bamba.
“A book, I recommend for every Muslim and even non-Muslims who seek to understand the concept of Islamic Jurisprudence,” he added.
He was later awarded a Citation of Honor by the Bambawiyya Islamic Institute led by Sheikh Luqman Bamba for his contribution to the development of the country and the Muslim community.
He finally charged the gathering to take advantage of the various government programs such as the Free SHS, NEIP, Planting for Food and Jobs, Youth in Agriculture, and many others that are being rolled out.