It gives me great pleasure to be in your midst today as the Keynote speaker at the 2008 Annual Theological Conference of the Catholic Institute of West Africa. I understand that the aim of this Annual Theological Conference is to identify how Theology could be of practical benefit to the world in which the Church finds itself. This objective has consequently found expression in the choice of the theme of this year’s conference entitled: "The Word of God and Meeting the Millennium Development Goals in Africa". Africa has been variously referred to as the third world, with the countries called developing, less developed etc. And indeed going by technological development, these assertions are well deserved. There is no gainsaying that the poverty level of most African countries is very high. This has made it impossible for Africans to meet up with the basic necessities of life including food, shelter, good environment, primary healthcare etc.