WE NEED TO INTENSIFY OUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENTS AHEAD OF THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTIONS

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has joined other stakeholders to deliberate on matters concerning the 2024 general elections at a consultative meeting on the 2024 parliamentary and presidential elections in Accra.

The NCCE Deputy Director of Programmes, Ms. Modesta Annie Sapaty, during a panel discussion stated the Commission was poised to actively engage citizens in this national exercise, adding that the Commission is committed to fulfilling its constitutional mandate fully, to the best of its ability. “As a Commission, our target is to reduce voter apathy, increase citizens’ participation, and rally citizens to make informed choices that will work in our collective interest," she stressed.

Also, she said, the NCCE is open to collaborations that are connected to its mandate, especially in this election year, to ensure a violent free election. This, she believed, would foster effective and impactful civic engagements.

The panellists at the consultative meeting mentioned that there was a need for intensified public and civic engagement and called for synergic collaboration among relevant stakeholders to step up a strategic approach to sensitise Ghanaians on the need to exercise their civic duty to vote in the elections.

That, they argued, was because of the fear of a high level of apathy in this year's polls. They said some Ghanaians felt that their basic needs had not been met by politicians and did not see the need to go and vote.

The panellists who made the call were the Director of Training of the Electoral Commission, Michael Boadu; the Executive Director of the Star Ghana Foundation, Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu; the Co-chair of the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers, Rev. Dr Fred Deegbe, and the Deputy Director of Programmes of the NCCE, Modesta Annie Sapaty.

The meeting was organised by the FAITH In Ghana Alliance, a multi-faith platform, with support from Faith in Action International, the Electoral Commission, the NCCE and the Star Ghana Foundation. It was attended by representatives of the Christian Council of Ghana, the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, the Office of the National Chief Imam, and the National Catholic Secretariat/Caritas Ghana.

The others are the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, the Knights and Ladies of Marshall, the Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Ghana, Catholic Religious Women, and the Council of Independent Churches.

Alhaji Tanko said one of the most critical issues the country faced as it moved into this year's elections was mistrust of citizens in the institutions of the state. The current economic situation, he said, was also a factor that might affect participation. The high levels of youth unemployment are also a factor. So all this combined creates a situation where if we don't redouble our efforts, there might be apathy," he said.

The Chairperson of FAITH In Ghana Alliance, Hajia Ayishetu Abdul-Kadiri, said the organisation was committed to promoting actions on inclusion, transparency and harmony.

She said its work since 2016 has created opportunities for enhanced collaboration among diverse faith groups, active civic engagement, social and behaviour change, and dialogue on critical development issues, and she added that it is currently active in 10 out of the 16 regions of the country.

Follow us on our social media pages for more stories and posts from the NCCE.

Instagram