Pastor Mensa Otabil has said Africa’s greatest achievements must neither be the wild animals that God has gifted the continent nor the brawn of her peoples, but rather feats in the sphere of knowledge, information, science and technology through the understanding of the times.

“Africa has never been known as a place of knowledge, information, science and technology; we’ve been known as people with energy, people with a vibrant culture, we dress colourfully, we have art, we have physical structure and muscle but that era is coming to an end, a new band from this place, our strength will not be muscle, it will not just be athletics, winning 100-metre [races], boxing and beating people up; it’s going to come because they have head and they have understanding of the times and they would know what the world ought to do”, the General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) taught in his virtual sermon on Sunday, 9 August 2020.

He, thus, asked for God’s understanding for the continent in that regard.

“I want Ghana to be a nation of understanding, I want Africa to be a continent of understanding, I don’t want our greatest achievement to be athletics, sports, boxing, wrestling; our greatest achievements should not be giraffes, lions and elephants who live on our continent, our greatest achievement should not be what nature gave us, our greatest achievement should be what understanding has given us”, he stressed.

Like in the Bible, Pastor Otabil said Ghanaians and Africans must be like the tribe of Issaka, which had understanding of the times and, thus, achieved great feats.

“Men of Issaka, men of Ghana, women of Ghana, the seasons have changed and God is bringing us heads of understanding in our homes, in our businesses, in our churches; heads of understanding”, he said.

According to him, “the people who know what the world ought to do are the people who lead the world”, adding: “And that, my friends, is where I believe this change of season is leading us”.

“I believe God is bringing us into a new opportunity and in this new opportunity, those who were condemned or spoken of as slaves are going to come into this season and show direction for the rest of the world but it’s going to come because they have heads”, he pointed out.

Pastor Otabil said the COVID-19 pandemic, though has ravaged the world, has a role to play in levelling the field of play for Africa to rise.

“At the beginning of this COVID-19 pandemic, I said this season is set up for our continent”.

“It is set up for the shifting of kingdoms, people who have been hewers of wood, drawers of water, slaves to the world are going to shift back into gear because there is something happening here that is going to equalise and level the playing field in our world and if we go in with understanding, we’re going to turn over this world into the direction it should go.

“And I pray that Africa will not miss the day of visitation”, he hoped.

He said: “It cannot be business as usual, we cannot use muscle power to win the battles of life, we cannot use brute force to win the battles of life, we’re going to use delicate thought, delicate thinking, clarity of thought [and] clarity of understanding”.