{
  "id": 6591763,
  "title": "Mismanagement of public affairs fading trust in government, religious leaders—Ayariga",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/mismanagement-of-public-affairs-fading-trust-in-government-religious",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-10T13:11:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/mismanagement-of-public-affairs-fading-trust-in-government-religious-leaders-ayariga/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ghana's Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has cautioned that the diminishing public trust may make it harder for the government to rally citizens around crucial socio-economic initiatives. Ayariga's comment came during a visit by the Ecumenical Council to the Ministry of Local Government on September 9th. The minister highlighted the loss of trust as a significant hurdle facing Ghana, stating, \"One of the major challenges of our time is the lack of trust. There's a serious loss of trust. The citizens no longer trust their governments, both at the local level and at the national level.\"\n\nAccording to Ayariga, this issue is not limited to political and state institutions but also affects religious bodies. He pointed out that some religious leaders have also contributed to the erosion of public confidence through their misconduct, adding, \"Some of it is beginning to touch even the religious groups and how, in certain areas, some religious leaders have also terribly misconducted themselves.\"\n\nAyariga emphasized the need for a collective approach to rebuild public trust in both government and religious institutions. He warned that rising mistrust could hinder citizens' willingness to participate in Ghana's socio-economic development plans. \"We need to work together to rebuild trust, both at the level of faith and also at the level of secular governance,\" he stated.\n\nThe minister cautioned that if this trust deficit remains unresolved, it could impede efforts to meet key national development goals. In response, he called on the Ecumenical Council to contribute to developing practical solutions to restore the confidence that Ghanaians once had in their public and religious institutions. \"If we don't rebuild trust, it becomes very difficult to mobilise the citizenry and galvanise them behind us to pursue key socio-economic objectives. And that is our greatest challenge. I throw this challenge to you as a think tank: how we can restore confidence, how we can restore the lost trust that people used to have,\" Ayariga urged. He stressed that restoring public confidence must involve both faith-based institutions and government structures.",
  "summary": "The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has warned that Ghana’s growing trust deficit could make it increasingly difficult for government to mobilise citizens behind critical socio-economic programmes.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}