In an effort to show to the Ghanaian Community in Chicago that the Ghana National Council of Metropolitan Chicago (GNC) is serious and ready with its current attempt to mobilize the Ghanaian community in Chicago to acquire a community center, the council voted to restore the Ghana House account, (seed money), that was borrowed for the council’s events years back.

The council added two thousand eight hundred dollars ($2800.00) to the original amount, thus bringing the total Ghana House or Ghana Community Center seed money to ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00). The measure overwhelmingly passed at the council’s general meeting on Sunday, December 2, 2018.

The moderator of the meeting, Akua Agyeman, congratulated members of the council for the bold initiative and foresight. The Vice President, Kassim Abukari minced no words by stating that the Ghana house dream is now or never.

He appealed to members of the Ghanaian community to show up at the town-hall meeting scheduled at Christian Faith Church International, 1237 Windham Parkway, Romeoville, IL, 60446 on Saturday December 8, 2018 from 4 pm to 8 pm prompt.

Prior to the town-hall meeting, the council formed an exploratory committee, called the Ghana House Committee, sometime last year, to find out modalities for acquiring a community center for Ghanaians in Chicago in the shortest possible time. The committee, led by former President of the GNC, Mr. Clement Timpo, presented its report to the council in May this year.

A press release earlier this month by the GNC stated that the upcoming town-hall meeting will feature an open panel discussion and presentations by community members. The press release went on to say that the goal of this meeting will be to develop a plan of action for the Ghana House (community center) and also address any community issues through questions and discussions by participants. Information from the Ghana House planning Committee will also be shared in great detail, the press release concluded.

Members of the Ghanaian community have been clamoring for a community center for years. It must be noted that the community members spend thousands of dollars a year renting halls etc. to host activities such as birthdays, marriages and other celebrations.

With the current leadership’s unity of purpose and focus, many members of the community we spoke with agree that the Ghana House or community center project could be realized sooner than later.

We urge members of the community to attend the current meeting in their numbers to enable them share their ideas with the leadership of the community.