Tamale, June 27, GNA - Mr Joseph Baah Okyere, Director of the Tamale Institute for Bible Studies (TIBS), has said forgiveness, unity and tolerance were important elements needed to develop the Northern Region.

"Government may devote all the resources towards enhancing the livelihood of the people by way of development but without oneness, these commitments will be in vain," he said.

Mr Okyere said these to the Ghana News Agency in an interview at the graduation ceremony of the first batch of Preachers from TIBS in Tamale.

About 15 people who were taken through courses including leadership and evangelical training programmes were awarded certificates in Bible Studies.

The event was under the theme, 93What the church needs to help serve the forces in and around the church, which threaten the purity of the faith in the Church".

The school which was established three years ago with the support of the Bear-Valley Bible Institute of the United States of America, is geared at training preachers from all the three northern regions of the country.

Mr Okyere said the school had acquired five acres of land on which a permanent campus for the institute was being built.

Mr Bob Turner, Director of Extension at the Bear-Valley Bible Institute, said his outfit decided to expand to seven other countries including Ghana, Tanzania and Nigeria to train people who are interested in spreading the Gospel of God.

"Over the years we have found that bringing men to the United States to train them doesn't work. After two years of living in our country, they don't want to go back to their own," he said.

Mr Jacob Adjie Yeboah, the Prefect of the School appealed to the management and philanthropists to help provide a vehicle to assist them in their evangelism in the various districts.