Presidential Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has defended government’s call for religious leaders to submit sensitive prophecies that concerns the nation and its top officials for review before making them public, insisting the practice is firmly rooted in biblical teaching.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday, August 11, Mr Afriyie Ankrah rejected suggestions that the move was an attempt to stifle spiritual expression. Instead, he described it as a safeguard to ensure messages with potential national security implications are handled responsibly.
Quoting scripture to back his position, he referenced First Thessalonians 5:20-21 “Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test them all. Hold on to what is good” and First John 4:1, which urges believers to “test the spirits.” He added, “The Bible actually encourages review… All things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial.”
The envoy explained that testing or reviewing prophecies was not a new concept, and that mature Christian communities already practise discernment to determine the authenticity and relevance of such revelations.
“Every man of God, a prophet, has every right to prophesy about any and everything they choose to. There is no problem about that,” he said. “But when it concerns the President, Vice President, senior government officials, or carries serious security implications, it should be formally shared with my office for urgent review and appropriate action.”
His comments come amid heightened public debate following last week’s helicopter crash that killed eight people. In the aftermath, social media has been awash with videos and posts of people claiming to have foretold the incident, sparking questions about the government’s capacity to respond to prophecies that may trigger fear or panic.
Critics, however, have raised two major concerns: the feasibility of reviewing prophecies before they are delivered and the risk of abuse by charlatans posing as prophets. Ghana has long struggled with the proliferation of self-styled prophets, some of whom have been exposed as fraudsters exploiting followers for personal gain.
Responding to these concerns, Mr Afriyie Ankrah emphasised that Ghana had “more than enough” credible spiritual leaders to help assess sensitive prophecies discreetly and professionally. He proposed that genuine prophets would be willing to engage behind the scenes to clarify their messages and explore possible interventions.
