The Presidential Envoy on Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has clarified that his office is not dedicated solely to receiving and reviewing prophecies about the nation or high-profile public officials.

Speaking to JoyNews’ Maxwell Agbagba, Mr. Afriyie Ankrah said the role of his office extends far beyond prophecy evaluation, with responsibilities that include collaborations with ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations, and local faith bodies of various religions.

He revealed that more than 200 prophecies have been submitted following the recent helicopter crash that claimed eight lives. However, he stressed that most will not be acted upon.

“By and large, 70–80% is of no substance,” he noted. “Then you look at the rest of the 20% and you sift through, and maybe 2–3–5% may deserve some further probe. It’s not a full-time job or an office set up solely to receive prophecies; that’s not how it works.”

Explaining the rationale behind the process, the envoy said it followed claims by some prophets that they had foreseen the crash. He emphasised that sensitive predictions with possible security implications should be privately reported rather than announced publicly.

“If you say a Ghana Air Force plane is going to crash, whichever way, it’s a security matter. Those specific ones, we are saying, don’t put it out there in a raw form that will create problems. We’ve created a WhatsApp platform and an email address. Send it to us, and then we will review,” he said.

Mr Afriyie Ankrah added that the Bible itself instructs that prophecies be tested. “Testing means there is room for review, to assess and evaluate, because some will definitely be chaff. There’s a lot that is completely bogus and will be discarded. But there may be a few that have some substance.”

He also addressed public criticism and misconceptions about his role. “I got my appointment letter about two weeks ago. People didn’t know about the office, so when the statement came out, maybe some thought an office had been set up solely to collect prophecies. That’s why you saw all those memes. But the office is meant to coordinate with all religious bodies, Christian, Muslim, and others, to help foster unity and oneness in the country.”

Highlighting the importance of his work, he said religion plays a dominant role in Ghanaian life. “If you look at the last population census, the religious community constitutes over 90% of the population. They are critical in society. Governance is about protecting and advancing the interests of citizens, and faith is part of our social reality.”

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