Coronavirus: Resource NCCE to educate the public - CSOs

Some 59 Civil Society Organisations have urged the government to resource the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to enable the commission to effectively educate the Ghanaian public on the Coronavirus pandemic.

The CSOs said a key prerequisite for Ghanaians to observe the safety protocols to prevent COVID-19 is public education, hence, the need to resource the NCCE to that effect.

Some weeks ago, the NCCE said due to inadequate funds, it allotted only GHS100 to its districts offices to help educate the citizenry on COVID-19.

The CSOs in a joint statement said after hearing that news, it undertook an independent check to ascertain the financial and logistical state of the NCCE and discovered the commission is under-resourced despite its critical role in public education.

The CSOs said they discovered the following:

• As at April this year, the Commission had not received any amount from its 2020 budgetary allocation. The Commission has hardly received its total budgetary allocation since 2009.

• The Commission lacks basic tools and equipment such as public address systems, for effective advocacy and public education.

• The commission relies on rickety cars that hardly enable mobility. The newest cars are eight years old. In fact, even the Chairman of the Commission does not have an official car since her appointment in 2015.

• The total staff of the Commission in 2007 is less than its current staff in 2020, although the population of the country has increased since then with more regions and districts.

• The socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on our nation could be devastating. Appropriate citizen behavior is the most potent arsenal in this fight against COVID-19. Members of the public need to adhere to the necessary safety protocols, as well as other policies and measures announced by government.

• The measures announced by the government so far require effective, persistent education in order to elicit compliance from citizens. There is no public institution better placed to do such public education than the NCCE. The NCCE is mandated by Chapter 19 of our Constitution to inculcate in the Ghanaian citizenry, the awareness of their rights and obligations, through civic education. The NCCE is specialized in citizen education and has the structures to carry out the task; being present in all districts in Ghana. What the Commission needs are the funds, personnel, tools and equipment to deliver.

• While we applaud the efforts and measures implemented by government so far to tackle the pandemic, we are asking the government to, as a matter of urgency, retool the NCCE with the necessary funds and logistics to enable it play the critical role of national public education on COVID-19. We are also appealing to the government to prioritize the role of the Commission by providing it with the required resources to enable it discharge its obligations beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CSOs are asking the government to, as a matter of urgency, retool the NCCE with the necessary funds and logistics to enable it play the critical role of national public education on COVID-19.

“We are also appealing to the government to prioritise the role of the Commission by providing it with the required resources to enable it discharge its obligations beyond the COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement said.



Below are the CSOs who signed the statement:

1. Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC)

2. Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)

3. SEND-Ghana

4. Penplusbytes

5. West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI)

6. IMANI

7. Citizens Movement Against Corruption (CMaC)

8. Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)

9. Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA)

10. International Child Development Program (ICDP)

11. Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC)

12. CDD-Ghana

13. Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII)

14. Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP)

15. Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG)

16. Ghana CSOs Platform on SDGs

17. Pamoja Ghana

18. Offinso Partners in Sustainable Development (OPSD)

19. Krobo Danish Association (KROBODAN)

20. Renel Ghana Foundation (RGF)

21. Vision for Alternative Development (VALD)

22. Centre for Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development (CEESD)

23. Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF)

24. Elizka Relief Foundation

25. Good Governance Africa (GGA)

26. Young Achievers Caucus (YAC)

27. Edu - Media Ghana

28. Ahafo Network of NGOs (ANN)

29. Indigenous Women Empowerment Network (IWEN)

30. Northern Development Society (NORDESO)

31. Centre for Adolescents and Women's Health Initiative (CAWHI), Ghana

32. Centre for Capacity Improvement for the Well-being of the Vulnerable (CIWED)

33. Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC)

34. Alliance for African Women Initiative (AFAWI)

35. Norules Ghana Foundation

36. Alliance for Empowering Rural Communities (AERC Ghana)

37. Muslim Family Counselling Services

38. Mind Freedom Ghana

39. Centre for Community Livelihood Development (CCLD)

40. Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG)

41. Act for Change (AfC)

42. Young Visionary Leaders Ghana (YVLG)

43. Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT)

44. Agorvie Youth for Sustainable Development (AY4SD)

45. Ghana Community Radio Network (GCRN)

46. PACKS Africa

47. Community Aid for Rural Development (CARD-Ghana)

48. AbibiNsroma Foundation

49. Abibiman Foundation

50. Capacity Enhancement and Community Support-CAPECS

51. Ghana Youth Environmental Movement

52. Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana (YHFG)

53. PROMAG Network

54. Lens of Hope Foundation

55. LAMA Consult Foundation

56. RU-Care Foundation

57. ICARE

58. Rights and Responsibilities Initiatives Ghana

59. Centre for Community Livelihood Development (CCLD)