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The Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has reiterated his commitment to incentivize churches and faith-based groups for the massive work they do to support government.

Speaking in Sefwi Wiawso during a campaign engagement with community stakeholders including the Clergy and Imams, Dr. Bawumia said in spite of the enormous contributions of religious groups to Ghana’s development, the State does not offer them any incentive to support them just as foreign development partners get.

This, Dr. Bawumia said, will end under his government he will provides incentives which will include waivers on special equipment and machinery for special development projects.

"I want to collaborate with the churches and Islamic institutions. If you look at the volume of development work we do in this country, they contribute a lot. They build schools and hospitals but government does not give them incentives.”

"The churches use their own money to do all these without incentives from government…When foreign aids come here for development, we call them development partners, so they get certain support such as waivers on duties on materials for the construction of schools or churches. But when the church or Islamic institutions are bringing such materials, they are asked to pay duty. I want to change that”, Dr. Bawumia said.

He added; "I want to change the classification of the churches and faith-based institutions as development partners, so they will then be entitled to the same incentives we extend to development partners.”

"So, when they bring equipment for development for schools and hospitals, they will also be exempt from duty. This will help a lot in the development of our country."

Dr. Bawumia's proposal was embraced by representatives of the religious groups; both the Clergy and Imams welcomed the idea.