The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) won the maiden edition of NCCE’s University Civic Challenge held on Wednesday, 28th February 2018 at the Faculty of Law Auditorium of the University of Ghana, Legon. GIMPA beat the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) in an exciting and educative debate on the topic “60 Years Beyond Independence, Foreign Aid Is Needless To Ghana’s Development”. GIMPA spoke for the motion and scored 835 points whiles UEW placed second with 781 points. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) placed third during the semi-finals. The University Civic Challenge was on the theme “Restoring Our Ghanaian Values as Active Citizens”.
Ms. Josephine Nkrumah, NCCE Chairman, in her opening remarks stated that the aim of the competition sought to empower the youth to master the 1992 Constitution. She reiterated this in the words of His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the launch of the University Civic Challenge on August 30, 2017 “This competition should be more than about who emerges first or second or which University ends up with the most number of victories; it should be more than that. It should be about knowing why the Constitution came into force, why it provides guidelines for the functioning of the State and why together we must help ensure that the 3 arms of government; Executive, Legislature and Judiciary live up to their respective charter and act as checks and balances on each other to prevent abuse of power and thereby help secure the blessings of liberty on ourselves and posterity”.
Hon. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Minister for Information, in a brief remark, stressed that the youth of Ghana had to take a keen interest in current affairs, participate in debates and make ample time to listen to the news since 70% of what they would learn in life would be outside the formal curriculum. Hon. Abdul- Hamid reiterated that this would broaden their horizon as future leaders.
Ms. Kathy Addy, NCCE Deputy Chairman, Finance, and Administration, delivering the closing remarks emphasized that the competition was intended to equip students and prepare them for leadership roles in the future. She noted that the Commission chose the topic for the debate to tie in with the vision of the President of Ghana to resonate with the theme for Ghana’s 61st Independence Day celebration.
Mr. Kofi Bentil, Senior Consultant of Bentil Consulting Limited, a lead Judge at the competition advised the students to pay attention to details when answering questions.
Hon. Mustapha Hamid, Minister for Information, Ms. Josephine Nkrumah, NCCE Chairman, and Mrs. Hajara Mohammed Rufai, Commission Member, presented prizes to the first, second, and third schools respectively. The awards were made up of books, electronic tablets, and cash prizes.
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