By
Anthony Apubeo, GNA
Bolgatanga, July 23, GNA – Ms Josephine
Nkrumah, the Chairperson for the National Commission for Civic Education
(NCCE), has paid a working visit to the Upper East Region to assess the
Commission’s activities in the Region.
The two day visit to the Northern, Upper East
and Upper West Regions formed part of a nationwide tour the Commission is
undertaking to evaluate its performance under the Third Grant of the European
Union (EU) sponsorship it received since 2016.
The Chairperson, who was accompanied by Mr
Samuel Asare Akuamoah, Deputy Chairman of the Commission in charge of
Operations, speaking to the media commended the EU for the support the
Commission had enjoyed over the years saying, “a minimum of 80 percent of the
Commission’s activities are being sponsored by the EU”.
Explaining the Grant, Ms Nkrumah disclosed
that the Third Grant was given to the NCCE to help in the education and
sensitization programmes of the Commission towards achieving peaceful, free and
transparent Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2016.
She attributed the successes of the general
elections in 2012 and 2016 to the immense support the Commission had received
from the EU to carry out its civic education programmes.
She added that the Grant enabled the
Commission to collaborate effectively with major stakeholders including the
Electoral Commission (EC), public institutions, Civil Society Organizations,
engage various political parties and their candidates, the communities,
particularly conflict prone areas as well as the youth, to understand the
electoral processes and the need to preserve and maintain peace before, during
and after the elections.
“Some of the benefits of the Grant was
capacity building, because based on the EU Grant we enhanced the skills of our
staffs. We shared all kinds of information and knowledge relevant to the
Presidential and Parliamentary elections to enhance the skills of engaging the
citizenry on the democratic governance structure.
“We also benefited some equipment from the EU
such as computers and accessories, furniture, photocopiers, printers, public
address systems among others and also organized media advocacy workshops for
selected journalists,” She added.
The Chairperson further stated that as result
of the EU support, a research document which was on the topic “Matters of
concern to the Ghanaian Citizenry” was produced in 2012 which has become a
reference point for all the political parties in formulating their manifestoes
that really addresses the concerns of the electorates.
Ms Nkrumah who commended Mr Rockson Ayine
Bukari, the Upper East Regional Minister, for his commitment to supporting the
Commission’s work, especially when he played the role of a resource person to
educate pupils of basic schools on tax compliance and good governance during
the Commission’s Citizenship Week Celebration, urged other regional ministers
to emulate his example.
The Chairperson, who impressed on members of
the public to have confidence in the Commission as a non- partisan public
institution, which provided civic education, admonished the media to desist
from focusing on only challenges of the Commission at the expense of its
successes.
Mr Pontius Pilate Baba Apaabey, the Regional
Director of the Commission, thanked the Chairperson for her visit and pledged
his commitment to ensure that the Commission continued to achieve the desired
results in the Region.
GNA