Gov’t to Compile National Database of Mosques and Religious Sites, Says Local Government Minister

The Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs does not currently have an exact count of mosques in Ghana, but plans are underway to document all places of worship across the country.

That was the response from Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, when he answered questions in Parliament on the number of mosques nationwide.

He stated that, the exact number of mosques in the country is not readily available at the ministry,” the Minister told the House.

While the full data is pending, Hon. Ibrahim mentioned several major mosques that are “easily identifiable.”

The list includes the National Mosque in Accra, the Bole Mosque in the Savannah Region, Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and other key cities, Tamale Central Mosque, Kumasi Central Mosque, Madina Mosque, Nima Central Mosque, Tudu Central Mosque, Accra Newtown Mosque, Fadama Mosque, the historic Larabanga Mosque, and “several others classified as community or neighborhood mosques.”

To address the data gap, the Minister said his outfit is preparing to build a database covering all religious organisations in Ghana.

“Mr Speaker, the ministry as part of effort to document all religions in the country is preparing to develop a database of all religious organisations,” he said. “The objective is to keep records of all faiths, their places of worship and others and the exact location or addresses including the number of mosques.”

Hon. Ibrahim added that the ministry will work with the National Muslim Conference to review mosques and Islamic sites nationwide. The exercise will support efforts to develop Islamic tourism in Ghana.

“Additionally, the ministry plans to engage the National Muslim Conference to review all mosques and Islamic sites to support the development of Islamic tourism in Ghana,” he stated.

The database project is expected to improve official records on religious infrastructure and help position heritage sites like Larabanga Mosque for tourism.