SWITZERLAND’S AMBASSADOR TO GHANA CALLS ON NCCE’S CHAIRPERSON

Switzerland’s Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs. Simone Giger has paid a courtesy call on the Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Ms. Kathy Addy at the Commission’s Head Office in Accra. The visit was to primarily familiarise herself with the work of the NCCE and strengthen ties between the two institutions for future partnership.

The Chairperson of the Commission, Ms. Kathy Addy welcomed the Ambassador and explained to the Ambassador, the mandate of the Commission, its operations, capabilities, values, and its role in nation-building. Ms. Addy took the Ambassador through the thematic areas that guide the work of the NCCE. She mentioned among others, education on the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, education on democracy, Human Rights, Nationalism and patriotism, voter education, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Environmental Governance, and general civic-related issues. She mentioned that the Commission has a firmly established structure for public education saying, the Commission’s skill set is public education. "We work to make people understand their duties and responsibilities. We work closely with traditional and opinion leaders to ensure inclusivity so that women and children are not marginalised. We work with relevant stakeholders to sustain Ghana’s democracy. Our mandate is a broad one", Ms. Addy added.

The Switzerland Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs. Giger explained the Swiss Embassy’s focal areas which involved skills development and assisting people to secure financially sustainable jobs. She proposed a relationship between the NCCE and the Embassy to share best practices, one that is symbolic in nature.

The Deputy Chairman of Operations (NCCE), Mr. Samuel Asare Akuamoah touched on the Commission's flagship programmes. He mentioned Social Auditing, Democracy Education, among others, and the use of interesting means to make citizens especially students appreciate the study of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. He cited the NCCE’s Constitution Board Game used by many educational facilities in the country to educate students on the Constitution and the principles and pillars of democracy.

Mr. Akuamoah later mentioned the Commission’s flagship research report released by the Commission periodically; ‘Matters of Concern to the Ghanaian Voter'. He said the report over the years has served as a manifesto guide for many political institutions mostly before national elections and this has always provoked a national conversation on what citizens expect from political leaders.

Mr. Patrick Asare Nelson, the European Union (EU) Project Manager at NCCE disclosed the long-standing relationship that has existed between the NCCE and the European Union. He said the NCCE since 2012 has worked closely with the European Union under many governance-related projects. He listed several EU-sponsored projects and discussed the ongoing Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE) project mainly along the northern borders of the country. He explained that the NCCE under the PCVE project is collaborating with other agencies namely; COGINTA (Sweden), FIIAP (Spain), National Security Agencies, Counter-terrorism, and Fusion Centre, all pulling resources together to prevent violent extremism in Ghana.

The Ambassador later asked about the Commission's plans for next year as the country goes to the polls. The Director of Programmes at NCCE, Dr. Imurana Mohammed, revealed that the Commission’s plans for election 2024 are far advanced and mentioned some public outreach strategies at the meeting.

Mrs. Giger also inquired about women’s participation in governance decrying the low representation of women in Parliament. On that score, Deputy Chairman, in charge of Finance and Administration, Lawyer Victor Brobbey remarked on the delay in the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill and suggested possible solutions to close the gender gap in the governance space.

Present at the meeting were the Acting Commission Secretary, Mrs. Lucille Hewlette Annan, the Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Joyce Afutu, and the Director of Administration, Mrs. Dora Hammond.