The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at recently celebrated the first century of Khalifat-i-Ahmadiyya (Ahmadiyya Caliphate), at a regional Jalsa (convention) for West Africa, from Thursday 17th to Saturday 19th April, 2008 in Ghana.

Over 100,000 delegates from over thirty-two countries from Africa, Europe, America and Asia attended the convention.

For The Gambia, a delegation of 36 officials, including delegates from Guinea Bissau, were led to the convention by Amir Baba F. Touray.

In his opening address, Hadrat Khalifatul Masih V, Mirze Masroor Ahmed (ATBA), the supreme leader of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at, instructed that every Ahmadi must try to improve himself and develop the qualities of absolute truth and forbearance.  He admonishes against lying, backbiting and breach of trust which, according to him, lead to chaos and disorder.

"Dishonesty and breach of trust does not only mean the stealing of small or large amounts or misappropriation of wealth but also includes failure to fulfill one's duties.  These evil qualities wreck a country" he said.

He said that for an Ahmadi, love for his country is part of faith and he therefore admonished every Ahmadi to put national interest at heart, if an Ahmadi does not fulfill his duties to his nation, then he has not fulfilled a purpose for which he joins the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at. He stated that the future of Africa was bright and that the faster we work for it, the faster it will be attained. He advised Africans to follow the example of the great African leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, who strove hard for the liberation of Africa.   

"Every Ahmadi should be a master of the highest moral qualities, and righteousness should be his distinctive feature. They should excel in every field of education, the minimum target being Nobel Prize.

Also addressing the opening session, John A Kuffour, President of Ghana said that, it was a pride that the first convention to mark the centenary Khilafat-i-Ahmadiyya celebrations was being held in Ghana.  According to him, the theme for the convention, 'Love for all, hatred for none', could not have come at at better time.  "This is the motto of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at and has also been chosen as the theme for the convention" he said.

For his part, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, Vice President of Ghana who also highlighted some of the many positive activities the Jama'at had been involved in throughout the country, particularly in the fields of agriculture, education and health.  He also lauded the commitment shown by the Jama'at to co-operate with other faiths for progress and development.

The convention was attended by religious leaders including the Ghanaian National Chief Imam, the only Christian Cardinal in Ghana, and a Bahai representative, dignitaries and government officials.

Hadrat Khalifatul Masih V (ATBA) continued his visit to Benin and Nigeria where similar conventions were held.