NCCE Eastern Regional Directorate engages religious organizations

As part of the 2024 annual National Constitution Week celebration, the Eastern Regional Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has rolled out public engagement to educate stakeholders on their respective roles in an election year.

Ms. Ophelia Ankrah, NCCE Eastern Regional Director, during her engagement with members of the Living Lessons of Life Ministry in Adweso 205 near Koforidua, which also marks the church’s 20th-anniversary celebration, tasked religious leaders to play active roles in Election 2024.

Speaking on the theme “Election 2024: The Role of Christians and Social Partners in Securing Peaceful Elections for National Development,” Ms. Ankrah noted that “as we approach Election 2024, we are reminded of the critical role we play in shaping our nation's future as monitored by Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult), [email protected], which is a development communication advocacy non-governmental organization based in Tema.

“As Christians and social partners, we are called to be salt and light, promoting peace, justice, and righteousness in our society. Peaceful elections are crucial for national development.”

Ms. Ankrah stressed that elections allow us to choose leaders who will serve with integrity, wisdom, and compassion, enable us to hold our leaders accountable for their actions and demonstrate our commitment to democracy and the rule of law.

But peaceful elections require our collective effort, Ms. Ankrah noted and stressed that we must promote tolerance, understanding, and respect for divergent views and encourage issue-based campaigning rather than resorting to violence and hate speech.

The Eastern Regional Director of NCCE also called for support for the Electoral Commission in their efforts to ensure free, fair, and credible elections.

She charged faith-based organizations, including Christians and Muslims, to constantly pray for peace, wisdom, and guidance for our leaders and citizens and engage in voter education, registration, and mobilization.

She also urged religious groups to foster collaboration and partnership among political parties, civil society, and religious organizations: “As Christians, we are called to be peacemakers, loving our neighbours as ourselves.

She also pointed out that despite tremendous gains made over the last several years in improving the conduct of elections and consolidating the country’s democracy, there are still some challenges with the country's electoral processes, including pockets of violence, significant mistrust, and mutual suspicion among some key stakeholders.

She added that the role of independent actors, particularly Christians, is therefore crucial in establishing the credibility of the electoral processes for the December 7 polls.

Ms. Ankrah urged Christians to note that citizens who were not able to register for voter ID cards in the country should take advantage of the open window by EC from the 7th to the 28th of May, 2024, to do so.

She went on to encourage any Ghanaian who had just turned eighteen years old and was of sound mind to register and be part of the electoral process.

“Let us rise above political divides and work together for the common good. Let us build a nation where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

“Together, we can secure peaceful elections and build a brighter future for our nation.”

Mr. Augustine Bosrotsi, NCCE Deputy Eastern Regional Director, also urged religious groups to be active players in the election process, educate their members on their respective roles, and help sanitize the political space.