A Reflection on the Socio-Religious Environment of Ghana in the Wake of Religious Plurality
Adam Konadu 
, Nathan Iddrisu Samwini , Peter Addai-Mensah & Margaret Makafui Tayviah
Issue: Vol.6 No.2 Issue Article 14 pp. 217-227
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256214 | Published online 21st February, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Religion has become an inevitable human institution in the society. In the wake of enormous religiosity among Ghanaians, religious plurality, as a phenomenon, has become part and parcel of the social construct of the Ghanaian society. Thus, looking at the socio-religious environment of Ghana, it can be realized that religious plurality is a reality in Ghana. Different religious groups have existed and operated in Ghana, and there is a probability of new religions cropping up in the coming days. This paper is based on data derived from published and unpublished literature in the form of books and journal articles. The researchers adopted the qualitative method for the study. The study revealed that the religious, socio-cultural, political, economic, educational, health service delivery and media environments are all characterized by religious plurality. The researchers expect that after reading this material, readers will understand and appreciate the socio-religious context of religious plurality in Ghana.
Keywords: Religion, Religious Plurality, Interfaith Relations, Socio-Religious Environment, Religious Diversity, Religious Tolerance
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Konadu Adam holds a Master of Philosophy in Religious Studies from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from KNUST and a Diploma in Education from the University of Education – Winneba, all in Ghana. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Religious Studies at KNUST. He is a Lecturer of Religious and Moral Education at St. Ambrose College of Education at Dormaa-Akwamu in the Bono Region of Ghana. His research interest has been in Religion and Society, Comparative Study of Religions, Interfaith Relations and Religious Education.
Nathan Iddrisu Samwini holds a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Birmingham, UK. He is a Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies and Interfaith Relations. He is a former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and a former Head of the Department of Religious Studies at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. He is also a Minister of the Methodist Church, Ghana and a past Bishop of the Tamale Diocese and currently the Superintendent Minister of the Nkoranza Circuit. He is currently the General Adviser of the Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa (PROCMURA) based in Nairobi, Kenya. He has written four books on interfaith studies and thirteen peer-reviewed publications and over thirty non-academic publications on socio-religious matters.
Peter Addai-Mensah is a Catholic priest and a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Religious Studies of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana. He has a Diploma in Theology (Legon, Ghana), a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, Massachusetts); a Masters in Education (Boston College, Brighton, Massachusetts), and a Doctorate in Sacred Theology (Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, Massachusetts). His research interests are in Theology and Spirituality.
Margaret Makafui Tayviah is a Lecturer at the Department of Religious Studies in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi – Ghana. She is a scholar in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations. She holds a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations. She is a member and currently the Anglophone West Africa coordinator as well as the Area Advisor of the Ghana Committee of the Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa (PROCMURA) which has its Central Office in Nairobi-Kenya. Her area of research are Islam, Interfaith Relations and Intercultural relations. She is a relationist who helps to promote good relations among people with diverse backgrounds for a healthy, good and peaceful society.
Konadu, Adam, Nathan Iddrisu Samwini, Peter Addai-Mensah & Margaret Makafui Tayviah. “A Reflection on the Socio-Religious Environment of Ghana in the Wake of Religious Plurality ,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no.2 (2025): 217-227. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256214
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
