By Deborah Naa Aku Allotey
Tema, Aug. 22, GNA – Madam Gifty Agyiewaa Badu, the Tema Metro Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has appealed to the Tema Traditional Council to support civic education activities within the traditional area.Â
Madam Badu made the appeal during a working visit to the Traditional Council, aimed at building partnerships with stakeholders.
She said the traditional leaders play a central role in community development, making their collaboration and partnership vital to the Commission’s work.
She said it is therefore important for the council to support NCCE activities with their presence, mobilisation of community members, and provision of guidance.
“The Council’s involvement will enrich our programmes and enhance our efforts to promote civic awareness and national unity,” she added.
The Tema Metro NCCE Director stated that traditional authorities play a central role in community development, making their collaboration and partnership vital to the Commission’s work.
She explained that NCCE is an independent constitutional commission established under Articles 231 to 239 of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana and also by an Act of Parliament, Act 452, 1993.
She added that the commission has a clear mandate to educate Ghanaians on their rights, responsibilities, and the principles of good citizenship, explaining that the NCCE’s work is guided by quarterly activity plans as well as year-round initiatives that address national priorities.”
Madam Badu said: “Our mandate goes beyond constitutional education. We also carry out government-directed assignments, and in all these, the support and guidance of the Traditional Council are invaluable.”.
She said the NCCE operates in all 16 regions and 265 districts in Ghana, with its programmes guided by an annual theme, highlighting the Commission’s flagship Citizenship Week initiative, which targets pupils in basic schools with the aim of instilling civic values at an early age.
Asafoakye Nii Gbemi of the Tema Traditional Council welcomed the initiative, describing the visit as timely and important, while assuring the NCCE of the Council’s willingness to collaborate but also calling for greater logistical and financial support to enhance the success of joint programmes.
He also explained that the Council sometimes misses programmes due to overlapping assignments but pledged to work more closely with the Commission going forward.
Meanwhile, as part of the partnership programme, the Tema Metro NCCE also paid a visit to the Tema Imam, Adam Abubakar, who called for increased community support and a return to core religious values.
Imam Abubakar highlighted the importance of fulfilling one’s duties, supporting one another, and strengthening institutions that uphold moral and civic principles, noting that the mosque regularly educates its congregation, with the goal of extending awareness of civic and moral responsibilities.
“We enlighten our congregation on Fridays on morals and civic responsibilities so that they will be aware that this is what is going on,” he said and expressed concern over what he views as a “societal drift away from the principles of God”, particularly within the younger generation.
He urged those with financial means to support the institutions that promote moral and civic education, emphasising the necessity of support from higher authorities, emphasising that “service to humanity is service to God.”
GNA
Edited by Laudia Sawer/Benjamin Mensah