The new focus of Easter, focusing more on business rather than merrymaking. 

By  Nana Sifa Twum (PhD)

Ghanaians and the rest of the world return to work last week Tuesday, after the Easter festivities with a new attitude towards celebrating the event, focusing rather on improving lives and wealth creation.

Even though a Christian festival, almost all and sundry took part, especially enjoying the accompanying holidays.

The concept and the lessons of Easter are so huge and fascinating, as well as relevant for national development and unity.

Easter, we know too well, is the celebration of the suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus some two thousand and eighteen years ago.

Even though the event happened very long ago, its significance and impact cannot be overemphasized. It is as relevant today as it was the time it happened.

Most often, celebrants of the sacred event rather unfortunately concentrate on the joy and the merrymaking aspect of it and play down the very core issues that are embodied in it.

The just-ended Kwahu Business Forum appears to be a game-changer by way of refocusing Easter activities in the country, especially the hub of the celebration, to business lines.

President John Mahama has praised this dynamic change in the celebration of the event, from concentrating on merry-making to looking up to national development through effective business and entrepreneurship planning.

He has therefore called for sound economic policies to empower entrepreneurs and foster a thriving business environment in Ghana. In a Facebook post, the President reflected on his time spent in Kwahu during the Easter festivities and expressed admiration for the entrepreneurial spirit and dedication of local business leaders.

Extending his gratitude to Kwahu business executives, CEOs, and heads of financial institutions for their commitment to driving economic growth, President Mahama also expressed delight focus on merry making during easter festivities is shifting onto business planning, in an apparent reference to the two-day Kwahu Business Forum he attended.

As we continue to celebrate Easter, all aspects of this important occasion must be brought to bear clearly, understood and also make significant applications of it in our daily lives as Christians and citizens.

First is the suffering of the Saviour Christ Jesus, which preceded the holistic agony. While he carried the sins of the whole world on himself, tortured and molested by his fellow citizens, we must understand the essence of suffering in our lives.

Suffering in all forms is part of human life. The need to endure suffering as humans is key. If people understand this, the many shortcuts in life, which sometimes result in corruption and “get rich quickly” attitudes, will be done away with.

The death of Christ Jesus itself signified the incomparable sacrifice to the human race. Sacrificing is one major and important element in citizenship. As citizens of Ghana, we must learn to sacrifice for Mother Ghana.

Our forefathers made huge sacrifices, some of them at the peril of their lives. The celebration of Easter will be meaningless without practising the sacrifice component of it.

His death and burial teach us to die to the past bad lifestyle and attitudes. We must also bury all evil tendencies which impede national development and unity. Lateness to work and functions, apathy, pilfering and corruption, among other negative tendencies.

After the celebration of Easter, one must be prepared to be seen by work colleagues and family members to have buried the very past. This calls for critical self-examination so that we will not repeating the same mistakes in our quest for national unity and development over and over again.

For it is said that it is not a mistake to make a mistake, but certainly it is a mistake to repeat a mistake.

When this is achieved, then the resurrection will be meaningful to us as a nation.

The resurrection will mean victory in all aspects of our lives as individuals and as a nation. Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope and a holistic renewal for a new life.

Let the joy and the merrymaking, and in some cases the prayers said, the conventions and the church attendance during the just-ended Easter be translated into the very practical means of real national development and unity.

It was about time we focused on initiating business development strategies during such a festive occasion. Merrymaking is a prominent aspect of human life, especially during festive seasons. The need to translate merry-making during Easter festivities into viable economic ventures is more critical today than ever.

The citizens and the business community in the Kwahu area have led the way by redirecting Easter activities into business initiatives. There is so much to look out for when we want to be serious with business as people. Organisation of Easter-themed tour packages, especially for local and international tourists, to boost tourism and hospitality services.

The two-day Forum, themed “The Future of Business: The Role of the Financial Sector,” which was held at the Mpraeso Social Centre in the Kwahu South Municipality of the Eastern Region and spearheaded by President John Mahama, aimed to bring all stakeholders to brainstorm on the vision of the President to make Ghana a more business hub and also to foster entrepreneurship and support the growth of Ghana’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

It is anticipated that similar platforms would be established nationwide during such festive occasions to connect with more customers, so the laudable initiative would help open up the country’s business sector to investors. He stated that, so far, he had received a good number of visitors at his stand on the sidelines of the Forum.

This is because, from all indications, the event has significantly opened up the community by attracting government officials and financial institutions to the area and in the words of the Chief of staff, “the co-conspirator of the President” Honourable Julious Debrah the next Kwahu Business Forum will be bigger and better, about five times more than this year’s event.

It is incumbent on the government that such a fascinating initiative would be worked on to make it an annual national event.

It is obvious that this development could have a positive impact on the local economy of Kwahu, particularly the hospitality and tourism sectors within the enclave.

The great gift of Easter is hope – Christian hope which makes us have that confidence that all will be well with Ghana in an ultimate triumph, and in the goodness and love for all.

The post The new focus of Easter, focusing more on business rather than merrymaking.  appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.

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