Bunso (Eastern Region) - The President of the Ghana Union Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church, Pastor P.O Mensah has appealed to the Government to ensure that adequate measures should be put in place before any fuel price increases is announced in order to alleviate the hardships of the citizenry.

Speaking at the opening of the Second Triennial Session of the East Ghana Conference of the SDA at Bunso on Wednesday, Pastor Mensah said the SDA Church would continue with its partnership with the government in the fields of education and health.

According to him, the Church has intensified the education of its members on the HIV/AIDs menace with emphasis on total abstinence from pre-marital sex. The five-day conference under the theme: "United in action for Christ in wonder of his grace", is being attended by 270 Pastors and Elders of the church from the 25 districts in the Eastern Region.

ln her keynote address, the Deputy Minister for Environment and Science, Mrs Anna Nyamekye, said if churches in the country would strive, teach and mould the character of its membership to fit the aspirations of the nation, Ghana would have laid a solid foundation for a better tomorrow.

She, therefore, asked all Ghanaians to unite and tackle the country's problems with zealous enthusiasm and courageous optimism. Mrs Nyamekye explained that although the recent fuel increases had brought hardships to the citizenry, "this situation is not the doing of any one of us," and therefore "let us in true determination, suffer today for a better tomorrow for our progeny.

Mrs. Nyamekye called on the Church and Ghanaians to unite and pray for our neighbouring nations that are going through the brunt of war. She commended the SDA Church for being in partnership with the government in its developmental efforts, especially by establishing the first private university to receive accreditation in Ghana at Oyibi near Accra.

The Deputy Minister further commended the role of Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), the Church's non-governmental organisation and hoped it would continue to support programmes and projects aimed at reducing poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and also provide the rural folks with programmes to better their living standards.

She praised the role of the Women and Health Ministries of the Church in their campaign against the eradication of the HIV/AIDs menace from the society. The East Akim District Chief Executive, Emmanuel Asihene, said the government would strive hard to provide the necessary sound atmosphere for the development of individual talents and entrepreneurship.

He noted that even though global economy, increasing fuel cost and dwindling donor funding was telling on the pace of national development, with prayers, the country would succeed.

Asihene urged Ghanaians to eschew all vices that would derail national aspirations and continue to pray for unity, accept unity in diversity and accommodate everybody's constructive contribution to the building of the nation.