NCCE engages customs division of GRA on constitutional reforms

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has engaged the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) at the GRA Headquarters in Accra. The event was on the theme, “Three Decades of Uninterrupted Constitutional Rule: Revisiting the Agenda for Reforms”. As part of the Annual Constitution Week Celebration, the NCCE will be engaging security services across the country on Ghana’s journey after thirty years of peaceful democratic governance.

The main speaker for the engagement was NCCE’s Commission Member, Mr. Victor Brobbey. In a presentation, Mr. Brobbey emphasized that the 1992 Constitution of Ghana is not for a select group but for all citizens. He said, “There’s no perfect Constitution” but as the times change, there must be efficient and inclusive ways to improve it to reflect the needs and aspirations of the populace. He explained that the birth of the Constitution is celebrated annually on 28^th April because that was the day Ghanaians voted to accept it as the fundamental law of the land through a referendum. He said the 1992 Constitution is the longest-serving Constitution of Ghana. The deficits of our current Constitution emanate from a lack of balance in how it is drafted, Mr Brobbey explained.

Some of the concerns raised by the Officers are the imbalance of powers among the three arms of government where the Executive wields more power than the other two Arms of Government. Also identified was the issue of Parliamentarians doubling as Ministers. Mr Ofori, (Customs Officer) concluded by saying that all Executive powers must be trimmed and streamlined. Similar concerns were raised by the officers during the engagement most of them calling for Constitutional reforms.

The Greater Accra Regional Director of NCCE, Mrs. Lucille Hewlette-Annan encouraged the Officers to continually engage the Commission in their discussions through the District Offices, Regional Office or the Head Office on Constitutional matters and other related issues. She also urged them to interact with the Commission through its social media platforms and presented copies of the 1992 Constitution to the Office.

In his closing remarks, Director of Programmes at NCCE, Dr Imrana Mohammed thanked Commission Member, Mr. Brobbey for leading such an informative discussion, as well as the Officers present for their time and support. He hoped to collaborate more in the future.

In turn, the Customs Division of GRA was also grateful to the NCCE for the engagement. They pledged the Division’s support in helping to change individual mindsets that promote integrity, transparency and accountability.

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