How Come There Are More Churches Than Schools & Hospitals In My Little Town In Ghana?

I am not sure about the last time you visited where you originally come from in Ghana—be it a small town or a village. But an overdue trip I took to my town in the Brong Ahafo Region after having been absent for nearly a decade got me thinking…

It is a common global tenet that education is the key to living a meaningful, successful and non-oppressed life. Coupled with good health facilities, mankind will be able to pursuit happiness and engage in national development.

The importance of education cannot be highlighted enough in this piece—without education, we open ourselves to all sort of societal backlash and economic disasters.

I was pretty excited when I approached my town which was under heavy developmental attack—I saw a neatly built hotel, a gas station and several gigantic billboards on entering the town.

As I got closer, I realized all the gigantic billboards were for churches. At that point, it did not strike me to think beyond that. I was hoping to see similar billboards for other important amenities such as hospitals, schools and even youth or adult clubs.

Since nothing of such nature caught my attention, I descended into a false assumption that signs to these things may be at the other side of the town. Concluding that, indeed things have changed out here for the better…

When I got home and managed to greet all the folks I had not seen for ages, I brought up my observation for discussion. I asked my cousin what are the new schools in town or close to us.

Shockingly, she mentioned that no new school had been established in the area, adding that; the town has been blessed with 3 new Primary and Junior High schools with only one Senior High School.

Since I could hear people singing praises from where we sat, I asked; is there a church behind us? She quickly answered; yeah, they’ve started their usual Friday all-night service.

I was pulled into a pool of shock when I learned that over 8 churches have been built just at our area and total of over 35 churches currently exist in the small town which has just 1 hospital, a non-working clinic and less than 7 schools.

I’ve lived in the United States for years and have travelled to several countries in Europe. What I’ve realized is; all of these developed countries place huge importance on education and healthcare. How can we have more churches than schools and hospitals combined in any community seeking for real development?

I hope I am not the only thinks this should not be the case. We need hospitals/clinics nearby so we can reach them. And can’t equate the value of education to any of the salvation these churches will offer us—while we are on this earth.

How many churches are in your town and how many schools and hospitals are not there? Do the arithmetic