Constitution week celebration: April 28 - May 4

Accra, April 20, GNA - The sixth Annual National Constitution Week celebration would be used to intensify public awareness and deepen constitutional democracy, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) said on Thursday.

"After 13-years of constitutional democracy, rights and responsibilities, and laws on the vulnerable needs to be deepened through civic education on a sustain basis," Mr Laary Bimi, NCCE told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra.

He noted that the sixth celebration would be used to create and educate people on social auditing, increase the civic consciousness of the populace and strengthen the capacity of the local people to hold leaders accountably to their action and inactions.

The celebration on the general theme: "Local Participation and Social Auditing for Poverty Reduction" has been fixed for April 28 to May 4," with particular focus on the ideals of April 28, 1992 when a national referendum was held to endorse the 1992 Constitution. Mr Bimi noted that social auditing and accountability held the key to the reduction of corruption, empower the ordinarily person to check the execution of projects and contracts and make public officials live up to their responsibilities.

He noted that the celebration was a period for Ghanaians to participate in discussions, debates, theatre performances and other activities on the Constitution to ensure that it became a living document engraved on the mind and heart for the attainment of democracy and good governance.

Mr Bimi said, "the week was borne out of an urgent demand for knowledge and information by Ghanaians to accelerate the growth and sustenance of democracy and constitutionalism". Programmes lined up for the weeklong celebrations include: Final of finals of 10 Senior Secondary Schools Regional Civic Education Clubs Championship Games on the Constitution; Panel discussion on local participation and social auditing with particular focus on funding and structures at the District Levels.

Other activities are: Workers day solidarity messages and a Security Services forum on: "The Role of Security Services in Local Governance", with the Ghana Armed Forces, Police Service, Prisons Service, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, Ghana National Fire Service and Ghana Immigration Service.

The national celebration would also be replicated at the 10 regional capitals and in four communities in each of the 138 Districts of Ghana. BDB