The Church of the Province of West Africa’s Provincial Synod has unanimously endorsed the separation of its Ghanaian dioceses into an independent national church, advancing a reorganisation more than a decade in preparation. The gathering also called for stronger action against illegal mining, youth unemployment and corruption across the region.
Meeting at the Obro Hotel in Asante Mampong, Ghana, from 3 to 6 November, the synod brought together the province’s primate, archbishops, bishops, clergy and lay representatives under the theme “Towards Breaking New Grounds and Pressing On Towards Winning the Prize of our Salvation,” drawn from Philippians 3:13–14.
“We commend the delegates of this Synod for resolving unanimously to separate the Anglican Church of Ghana from the Church of the Province of West Africa to become a national church,” the closing communiqué stated, according to Ghanaian news reports. The proposed change was presented as a means of strengthening pastoral oversight, missionary effectiveness and accountable stewardship.
The vote does not, by itself, complete the establishment of a new autonomous member church of the Anglican Communion. The published reports gave no date for the separation to take effect.
The decision advances a process begun in 2012, when the West African province organised its dioceses into two internal provinces: Ghana and a second grouping encompassing dioceses in Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Guinea and Cameroon. The arrangement was reported at the time as preparation for the eventual creation of a separate Ghanaian church. Ghana’s internal province subsequently opened a national secretariat in Accra in 2021.
The distinction between an internal province and an autonomous member church is significant. Ghana already has its own internal ecclesiastical structures, but its dioceses remain within the Church of the Province of West Africa.
The Most Rev Dr Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, Bishop of Asante-Mampong, is primate of the West African province, and the Most Rev Jacques Boston, Bishop of Guinea, is Archbishop of the Internal Province of West Africa.
Recognition of a new autonomous province also involves Communion-wide procedures. These include amendment of the Anglican Consultative Council’s schedule of membership by its Standing Committee, with the assent of two-thirds of the Communion’s primates, as well as consultation over the proposed church’s constitution. Provincial approval is therefore an important step rather than the final act of separation.
The reasons attributed to the communiqué were administrative and missionary. The published accounts did not present the Ghanaian proposal as a doctrinal rupture or a departure from the Anglican Communion.
Alongside the ecclesiastical reorganisation, the synod devoted substantial attention to illegal mining, known in Ghana as *galamsey*, and its effects on rivers, forests and local communities. It urged governments to strengthen enforcement and impose appropriate sanctions on offenders.
“We further challenge all the citizens of our sub region especially Anglicans to desist from destroying the environment created by God through the activities of illegal mining in our water bodies and forest,” the communiqué said.
The appeal placed responsibility not only on government but also on church members, traditional authorities and local leaders. Chiefs in affected communities were urged to recover land leased for illegal mining.
“We entreat the Chiefs and leaders in the local communities which are affected by illegal mining to recover possession of their lands which have been leased out for this evil menace,” the synod stated.
The intervention continues earlier Anglican campaigning on the issue. In September 2024, Ghana’s Anglican House of Bishops, in a statement signed by Archbishop Ben-Smith, called for mining companies, traditional leaders and civil society to work together against illegal mining. The latest communiqué renews that appeal while explicitly challenging Anglicans to examine their own involvement.
The synod’s environmental concerns also informed its recommendations for schools. It asked educational institutions to work with their respective education ministries to incorporate environmental preservation and climate change into curricula, alongside moral education at every level.
The synod warned that unemployment remained a serious concern for young people throughout the region and called for deliberate government action to expand opportunities.
“We further acknowledge the prevalence of unemployment among our youths in the sub region and urge our governments to work hard to provide employment opportunities for the youths of our nations,” the communiqué stated.
Its message to Ghana’s government combined commendation with criticism. Delegates praised President John Dramani Mahama and his administration for their service, but urged an intensified campaign against corruption, lawlessness and indiscipline, including misconduct on the roads. They also called for development projects to be distributed fairly and equitably.
The government was encouraged to remain receptive to “positive divergent views,” placing political openness alongside the synod’s appeals for national unity and responsible leadership. The closing message called for peace, tolerance and a shared commitment to development across West Africa.
For the Church of the Province of West Africa, the meeting thus linked a major proposed change in church governance with demands for public accountability. The Ghanaian church’s move towards autonomy now requires further constitutional and Communion-level action, while the synod’s social appeals challenge governments, traditional authorities and Anglicans themselves to take responsibility for the region’s environmental and economic difficulties.