Mid-Central Ghana Conference

The Mid-Central Ghana Conference is an administrative unit of the Northern Ghana Union Mission in the West-Central Africa Division (WAD). The Mid-Central Ghana Conference (MICG) started as a field unit in July 2014 after the re-organization of the former Central Ghana Conference into three conferences: the Central Ghana, Mid-Central Ghana, and Mountain View Ghana conferences.¹

Territory: Bantama, and Suame Sub Metros; Offinso Municipal; Offinso North District; and all of Ashanti Region.

Statistics (June 30, 2022): Churches, 85; membership, 23,004; population, 610,874²

Reorganization of the Central Ghana Conference

In 2012 delegates at a conference held at the Adventist Girls Senior High School–Ntonso voted to reorganize the existing Central Ghana Conference. The delegates appointed a committee which, among others, included Seth Kwasi Asiedu, Abankwah Amoakohene, Bobieh Danso, Norman Kusi and Gyasi Animhene. Initially, this committee planned to reorganize the conference into two entities. However, upon reviewing the membership, territory base, and financial strength of the various districts, they proposed that the Central Ghana Conference be divided into three new fields: the Central Ghana Conference, the Mid-Central Field Unit, and Mid-North Field Unit.³

The Mid-Central Field Unit commenced operation in July 2014 under the leadership of Seth Kwasi Asiedu, director; Ronald Ohene Boateng, secretary; and Samuel Kutin, treasurer. The unit operated temporarily in an apartment on the Central Ghana Conference premises in Kwadaso- Kumasi.⁴

In August 2014, the West-Central Africa Division sent an inspection team to the Mid-Central Ghana Field Unit to evaluate its performance. This team was comprised of Onaolapo Ajibade (WAD secretary), Boadi Mensah (WAD assistant treasurer), Daniel Opoku-Boateng (WAD ministerial secretary), and the Northern Ghana Union Mission officers, Kwame Kwanin Boakye, Kwame Annor Boahen, and Dickson Sarfo Marfo. Their review revealed that the Mid-Central Ghana Field was performing well and therefore recommended that it be promoted to conference status. Subsequently, the 2014 WAD Year-End Meeting voted to grant the field unit conference status.⁵

Organization and Inauguration

The Mid-Central Ghana Conference was organized at the Adventist Girls Senior High School–Ntonso during meetings held from December 29, 2014, to January 3, 2015.⁶ At this meeting, the MICG’s three executive officers were confirmed: Seth Kwasi Asiedu, president; Ronald Ohene Boateng, executive secretary; and Samuel Kutin, treasurer. The conference was initially named the Golden Gate Conference, but the executive committee later changed the name to the Mid-Central Ghana Conference.⁷

The new executive committee selected Sunday, October 4, 2015, as the date for the inauguration of the conference. The planning committee consisted of Daniel Kyei-Baffour, Jr., Elder Samuel Kutin, Amponsah Acheampong Richard, C. A. T. Bempeh, Charles Ankrah, D. Y. Gyamfi, and Veronica Sarpong.⁸

The inaugural celebration was held at Bantama State Boys Park. Various church and government leaders were also present in honor of the occasion. A substantial amount of money was raised that day with which to acquire land and commence construction of the conference’s permanent headquarters. Other gifts were also presented to the conference by prominent conference officials such as Kwame Osei-Prempeh, Danso Abeam, and George Asumadu. Further support came from Martin Kyeremateng, Kofi Brenya, and other church members of the conference.⁹

The MICG commenced operation in temporary offices at Kwadaso, but later relocated to permanent offices at Ohwim-Atafoa. A befitting office complex block was constructed at Ohwim-Atafoa on Bohyen-Barekese Road and occupied before it was completed.¹⁰

Membership and Institutions

The Mid-Central Ghana Conference began with twelve districts comprising of fifty-seven organized churches and forty-one companies with a total membership of 17,688.¹¹ As of the end of 2022 the conference had nineteen districts with eighty-five organized churches and fifty-one companies with a total membership of 23,328 in a population of 590,746.¹²MICG also operates four institutions namely, Bremang Seventh-day Adventist Hospital, Namong Seventh-day Adventist Hospital, Anyinasuso Seventh-day Adventist Clinic, and the Adventist Senior High School–Bantama.¹³

Conference Departments

To facilitate the conference’s mission and to minister to the church membership in Mid-Central Ghana, the following departments were created: ministerial and family life directed by Nimako-Boansi Felix; personal ministries and Sabbath School directed by Abankwa Moses Ntiamoah; chaplaincy, youth, and health directed by Adusei Stephen Kwado; stewardship and strategic planning directed by Kyei-Baffour Daniel, Jr.; women’s and children’s ministries directed by Veronica Sarpong; and communication, public affairs and religious liberty, Global Mission, and Spirit of Prophecy directed by Marfoh Alexander. Ession A. Samuel was the conference’s internal auditor.¹⁴

Conference Presidents

Seth Kwasi Asiedu (2015-2019), Kofi Osei (2019- )

Sources

2023 Annual Statistical Report New Series, Volume 5 Advance Release of Membership Statistics by Division for 2022. Silver Spring, MD: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2023.

Central Ghana Conference Executive Committee Minutes, 2014. Central Ghana Conference records, Kumasi, Ghana.

First Quadrennial Joint Session of Mid/North-Central Ghana Conference Minutes, Mid-Central Ghana Conference archives, Kumasi, Ghana, 2015.

Mid-Central Ghana Conference Executive Committee Minutes, Mid-Central Ghana Conference Archives, Kumasi, Ghana, 2015-2016.

Second Quadrennial Session of Mid-Central Ghana Conference Minutes, Mid-Central Ghana Conference archives, Kumasi, Ghana, 2019.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Accessed May 31, 2023. http://www.adventistyearbook.org/SearchForm.aspx.

Notes

1. Central Ghana Conference Executive Committee Minutes, July 29, 2014.↩

2. “Mid-Central Ghana Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (2023), https://www.adventistyearbook.org/entity?EntityID=53033.↩

3. Seth Kwasi Asiedu, interview by author, Kumasi, Ghana, June 5, 2018.↩

4. Central Ghana Conference Executive Committee Minutes, July 29, 2014.↩

5. Seth Kwasi Asiedu, interview by author, Kumasi, Ghana, June 5, 2018.↩

6. First Quadrennial Joint Session of Mid/North-Central Ghana Conference Minutes, December 30, 2014-January 4, 2015.↩

7. Mid-Central Ghana Conference Executive Committee Minutes, January 20, 2015.↩

8. Mid-Central Ghana Conference Executive Committee Minutes, June 3, 2015.↩

9. Samuel Kutin, interview by author, Kwadaso, Kumasi, Ghana, March 18, 2020; Seth Kwasi Asiedu, interview by author, Kumasi, Ghana, June 17, 2020.↩

10. Seth Kwasi Asiedu, interview by author, Kumasi, Ghana, June 17, 2020.↩

11. Central Ghana Conference Executive Committee Minutes, July 29, 2014.↩

12. 2023 Annual Statistical Report New Series, Volume 5 Advance Release of Membership Statistics by Division for 2022 (Silver Spring, MD: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2023), 18.↩

13. Seventh-day Adventist Online Yearbook, “Mid-Central Ghana Conference,” accessed May 31, 2023, https://adventistyearbook.org/entity?EntityID=53033&highlight=mid-central|ghana.↩

14. First Quadrennial Joint Session of Mid/North-Central Ghana Conference Minutes, December 30, 2014-January 4, 2015.↩