POLITICAL PARTIES: KEY PARTNERS IN CIVIC EDUCATION DELIVERY

The Chairman of the NCCE, Ms. Kathleen Addy has described political parties as key partners in NCCE's quest to deliver effective civic education to the citizens of Ghana. According to Ms. Addy, the NCCE recognises this role and the time is ripe for a deliberate collaboration aimed at promoting nation-building and nurturing a civic-minded society. Ms. Kathleen Addy, made these statements when she called on the Chairman of the NDC, Mr. Johnson Aseidu Nketia, and party executives in Accra.

Ms. Addy emphasised that in a multi-party democratic state such as Ghana, political parties are key pillars of development and also serve as engines for promoting an entrenched civic culture among citizens. The NCCE, according to Ms. Addy, is poised to collaborate with political parties and other stakeholders to engender civic consciousness among the population. She maintained that the visit to the party is crucial to the work of NCCE, 'the call is part of our engagements with stakeholders to discuss matters of national interest and ensure that all hands are on deck in our quest to maintain our democracy. In the election year and beyond, Ghana's peace and stability are paramount, and must endure.'

Ms. Addy revealed the Commission’s plans to launch a campaign to revive the use of the National Anthem and the National Pledge for all major events and activities so citizens will be constantly reminded of the values we are supposed to live by. ‘We want the National Anthem and the National Pledge to be used at all national functions and public events to imbibe civic consciousness in Ghanaians’, she said.

Ms. Addy touched on the Commission’s theme for 2023; 30 Years of Consolidating Constitutional Democracy: Building National Cohesion through Citizens’ Participation in Local Governance. She said, the theme among others highlights 30 years of uninterrupted constitutional rule, the 30^th anniversary of the NCCE and the 2023 District Level Elections. Indeed 2023 is an auspicious year as it marks the 30^th anniversary of the NCCE, as such the Commission will be holding several activities to commemorate the anniversary, she added.

The NCCE also shared the Commission’s active role in managing threats of violent extremism with executives of the National Democratic Party. The Commission with support from the European Union launched the “Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism” project in December 2023 and is currently rolling out activities in the five northern regions as well as Oti and Bono regions. Since she was appointed Chairperson of the NCCE, Ms. Kathleen Addy has been engaging strategic partners of the Commission, and the visit to the NDC headquarters is one of the many such consultations. She was warmly received by Mr. Aseidu Nketia and his team and they both congratulated each other on their new roles.

The Chairman of NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketsia praised the Commission for the gesture and thanked Ms. Addy for the visit. He mentioned that political parties have indeed not put the NCCE in its proper pride of place. He said, 'if you have a civic-minded population, it facilitates national growth and development. If we had a better and enlightened population, some of the controversies in this country won't be an issue. On both sides, we have not done well in empowering the NCCE and the defects are beginning to show. We appreciate your difficulties as a party.'

Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketsia said the new executives of the NDC will collaborate with the NCCE to promote nation-building. Mr. Asiedu Nketsia and his team made some suggestions for building a strong civic culture such as the re-introduction of strong content on Civics in the design of the Ghana Education Service's curriculum, voter education, District Level Elections, patriotism, nationalism, and among other areas of national interest.

Present at the meeting were the General Secretary of the NDC, Dr. Fiifi Kwetey, and other senior executive members.

The team from the NCCE including the Commission Secretary and Directors at the Head Office accompanied Ms. Addy.