Former Chairman of the National Peace Council and past Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante, has cautioned against the government directive requiring clergy to submit prophecies for government review.

He describes the directive as “populist” and not in the nation’s best interest.

Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Prof. Asante stressed that prophecies are a private spiritual matter and must be handled as such.

“We cannot rule the nation on the basis of prophecies because how do you determine which is right or not?” he asked.He added, “The men of God who have been blessed with visions must pray about them and handle them spiritually, he said.

The Office of the Presidential Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations has called on church leaders and heads of religious groups to inform its office about any prophecy or spiritual message about important national issues, particularly ones that have the tendency to affect top political leaders, the government, national security, or public peace.

In a statement dated and shared on August 10, the Presidential Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations, under the leadership of Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, noted that such prophecies should not just be revealed publicly, adding that they must be formally submitted to the office for review and further resolution.

According to the office, the move is in line with the “spirit of responsibility, discernment, and stewardship over the nation’s destiny.”

“...we kindly encourage you to inform all prophets, men, and women of God under your oversight that any prophecy or spiritual insight of a national nature, especially those with implications for high-profile political leaders, governance, national security, or public stability, should be formally relayed to the Office of the Presidential Envoy for urgent review and appropriate escalation,” parts of the statement read.

The statement further noted that the need to share such prophecies and visions has become necessary following the fatal helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight persons, including two government officials and six others.

The deceased are Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence; Alhaji Dr. Murtala Mohammed, Member of Parliament for Tamale Central and Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology; Alhaji Muniru Mohammed Limuna, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator; Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress; Samuel Aboagye, Deputy Director-General of NADMO; Squadron Leader Peter Anala of the Ghana Air Force; Flying Officer Tsum Ampadu of the Ghana Air Force; and Sergeant Ernest Addo of the Ghana Air Force.

Following their deaths, several videos of pastors and prophets predicting an imminent aviation disaster surfaced, with some even mentioning the names of the deceased as victims at the time.

At least six prophets in Ghana and beyond had issued similar warnings, with some urging urgent national prayers to avert the tragedy. On July 13, 2025, Prophet Nigel Gaisie of Prophetic Hill Chapel declared, “I am seeing a domestic aircraft. It is small. I see it crash. Ghana must pray… I see the President in dark clothes.”

On July 29, independent prophet Samuel Henry (Roja) warned, “This is a conditional prophecy… there is going to be a plane crash… from Accra to Kumasi,” stressing that postponing flights and prayer could prevent it.

On August 3, Prophet Eric Boahen (Uche) of Reign House Chapel, recalling a 31st Night vision, said, “I saw a military aircraft… I saw fire… I saw sorrow… This is not a dream—it is a warning.”

Months earlier, on April 11, Prophet Fire Ogya (Jedidia Henry Kore) told a soldier to “refuse the flight… it’s a matter of life and ‘death.’” This advice reportedly saved the soldier’s life.

On July 19, Prophet Nana Kwame of Trinity Naioth Chapel International said, “I saw a helicopter fall… I saw Ghana mourning… This is a national warning.” A day after the tragedy, on August 6, Nigerian preacher Prophet Abel Tamunominabo Boma posted a video claiming to have foreseen “the Ghana flag on a casket… a nation weeping.”

After these videos emerged, there have been mixed reactions from Ghanaians. While some have called on authorities to take such warnings seriously, regard these prophets who announce such prophecies and visions, and act appropriately, others have also slammed the spiritual leaders as opportunists capitalizing on a national tragedy.

In 2021, the Ghana Police Service under the leadership of Dr George Akuffo Dampare took on faith-based organizations that inundated the public with predictions of imminent deaths and calamity that were supposed to be visited on individuals and pointed to the law that prohibited the public communication of such doom, for which offenders risked arrests and prosecution.

In the following year, the Ghana Police Service launched the "Prophecy Communication Compliance Day," instituted on 27th December every year, "to remind all of us to practice our faith within the confines of the law to ensure a safe, secure environment, free of anxiety generated from predictions of impending harm, danger, or death."

The directive by Dr George Akuffo Dampare did not sit well with some leaders of faith-based organizations. In January 2023, the then-IGP, Dr. Dampare, reiterated his firm stance against doom prophecy when the Ministry of the Interior made an appearance at the hearing of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament.

“Hon Chair, this is a very difficult question for me, but as a Christian and somebody who also believes in prophecies… and as a son of God, God will always have engagement with you and tell you things to happen in the future if only you are ready to listen.”

“But all the issues that we have been putting across as an institution are to prove to everybody that we are not against prophecies. We are talking about the communication of such prophecies that will end up creating fear and panic in our society, which is unwarranted,” Dr Dampare said.

He registered his displeasure over the manner in which such prophecies were made and clarified that he was not against prophecies.

“When God speaks to you, carry the message in a manner that will not affect the sanity of the country. Hon. Chair, it’s a simple matter… and truly a very simple matter. Hon. Chair, before I became IGP, nobody prophesied about me; now that I’m IGP, everybody is prophesying about me, and I have no problem with it because I am a public figure. But why should it be such that if God has revealed something to you about me, and you want to share it with me, you have to make it showmanship and tell the whole world about it.”

“If you receive a prophetic message that I’m about to die, which, of course, I’m not afraid of because death is inevitable…because if you don’t want to die, then you should not allow yourself to be born. Once I’ve been born, I’ll die one day. So, for death, the only thing I can do is to probably become a friend with it so that it can treat me with leniency,” he further remarked.

Meanwhile, Mr. Afriyie Ankrah has expressed gratitude to the Clergy for their spiritual support and counsel over the years to ensure peace and stability in the country.

“Greetings of peace and grace from the Office of the Presidential Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations. On behalf of the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, and the Office of the Presidential Envoy, I extend heartfelt appreciation to you and your various denominations for your unwavering spiritual support, intercessory prayers, and sustained leadership in promoting peace, moral integrity, and national unity,” he noted, adding that “your role in Ghana’s spiritual and civic life remains indispensable.”