NCCE, a Key Player in the Birth of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution – Parliament

The Parliamentary Select Committee in charge of Independent Constitutional Bodies has, on behalf of the Legislative Arm of Government, conferred with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) at the Head Office of the latter in Accra. This is consistent with the Committee’s measure to familiarise themselves with state institutions under their oversight.

Chairman of NCCE, Ms. Kathleen Addy, was delighted to receive the team and emphasised how the frequency of such a visit would go a long way to root the existing relationship with Parliament. She further extolled the Committee for the show of concern in the affairs of the Commission, indicating that the Committee can assist in escalating the grievances of the Commission to the Executive, since the reporting does not afford NCCE the opportunity to deal directly with the former.

Ms. Addy, unravelling the operations of NCCE to the Parliamentarians, revealed the vast and seemingly undefined nature of their mandate, unlike other constitutional and statutory bodies with more specified core mandates. “Our specialisation is in Public Education, so we are responsive to prevailing issues even if we didn’t programme for it, and are often called upon to lead the charge of public education”, she highlighted, citing the peak moment of Covid-19 as one of such instances.

As a top-up to the Chairperson’s statement, NCCE’s Deputy Chairman in charge of Operations, Mr. Samuel Asare Akuamoah underscored that the Commission, as mandated to create and sustain the Principles and Objectives of the 1992 Constitution, struggles to receive the necessary attention because their broad mandate overlaps to other state players’ mandates as well, intimating that the NCCE is deemed to be intruding the terrains of other state institutions. “We are to collaborate with all other state institutions on the levels of public education, because we have the infrastructure and expertise on that score, yet other state institutions do show the interest on that score, unless they find themselves in desperate situations which they would need our help to deal with”, he explained.

Notwithstanding, Ms. Addy pointed out that the staff of NCCE are committed to employing a plethora of public education strategies that guarantee their ability to reach the citizenry irrespective of their location, with the messages in the dialect prevalent among the target audience towards enhancing easy assimilation of information.

Meanwhile, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Bernard Ahiafor, on behalf of the delegation, expressed interest in learning about the challenges of the Commission. He underscored that as a Committee, they serve as an interface between NCCE and Parliament. He thus gave the assurance to advance proceeds of the engagement to Parliament for the necessary action to be taken.

Mr. Ahiafor, while alluding to the constraint in finances of NCCE, unequivocally stated that the latter has proven to have the capacity and willpower to deliver on their mandate, and thus ought to be given the required support to enable them to live up to task.

Majority Leader of the Ninth (9^th) Parliament, who doubles as Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Mahama Ayariga, stressed the cruciality of a befitting infrastructure for the Commission to adequately carry out their mandate.

“The National Commission for Civic Education at the time of drafting the 1992 Constitution of the Republic played a very key role by soliciting the opinions of Ghanaians, which is what informed the various provisions of our legal framework”, Mr. Ayariga revealed, noting that, “ it is therefore very essential for a Constitutional body that arrived together with the Supreme Law of the Land to enjoy state-of-the-art infrastructure meritorious of their status to provide them with a conducive environment for effective operations”.

The high-powered delegation from Parliament included the Chairman of the Committee on Independent Constitutional Bodies, Mr. Mahama Ayariga, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Bernard Ahiafor, as well as other Parliamentarians who are members of the Committee.

The side of NCCE saw a representation headed by the Chairperson of the Commission, Ms. Kathleen Addy, her two deputies, Mr. Samuel Asare Akuamoah and Mr. Victor Brobbey, as well as the Commission Secretary, and line directors.