Wa, May 8, GNA - Mr Ambrose Dery, Upper West regional Minister on Friday commended the Ahmaddiyya Muslim Mission for contributing tremendously towards national development in the fields of health, agriculture and education. He said their development projects were not only beneficial to only Ahmaddis, but to all kinds of people with varied religious faiths.

Mr Dery gave this commendation during the 46th regional conference of the Upper West Region, Ahmaddiyya Muslim Mission at Wa.

The conference, with the theme: "the role of Islam in nurturing quality human resource for nation building," attracted the faithful from all districts of the region. The Regional Minister urged the leadership of the mission to drum home the problem of HIV/AIDS in society to its members as it was more prominent among the youth, who were to serve as the bedrock of the future.

Mr Dery said although a lot of educational programmes have been carried out throughout the country, nothing positive had been achieved in terms of figures, adding that since Ghanaians are God-fearing they would listen attentively if their religious leaders talk to them. He said the disease had gone beyond the capabilities of health workers and therefore, need concerted efforts to deal with.

Maulvi A. Wahab Adam, Ameer (Head) and Missionary in-charge of the Ahmaddiyya Muslim Mission, Ghana announced that experts of alternative sources of energy from the international headquarters of the Mission were expected in the country to explore the possibility of using windmills and solar energy to improve the living conditions of rural people.

He therefore, appealed to the public to co-operate with them fully so that rural dwellers would also enjoy some amount of comfort. The Maulvi said they decided on the theme because human resource was very vital for the socio-economic development of the country. He appealed to Muslims all over the country to bury their ethnic, political and religious differences and unite for the development of the country.

The Ameer stated that countries like Japan are not rich in minerals and other natural resources but are able to develop because of the rich human resources.

The two-day conference would also afford them the opportunity to review the past performance and plan effectively for the future. 08 May 05