Eastern Region NCCE opens 2026 Citizenship Week with call for digital constitutional responsibility

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Eastern Regional Directorate, has officially launched the 2026 Citizenship Week celebration, with a strong focus on safeguarding constitutional values in Ghana’s rapidly evolving digital space.

The launch, held in Koforidua, brought together students, teachers, civil society actors, and traditional leaders. Ms. Ophelia Nana Yaa Ankrah, Eastern Regional Director of the NCCE, led the ceremony and set the tone for a week of civic engagement across the region.

This year’s theme, “Upholding Our Constitution in the Digital Age: Our Collective Responsibility,” frames the conversations, while the Eastern Region’s sub-theme, “Growing Up Digital: The Ghanaian Child Upholding the Constitution Online,” targets the habits, risks, and responsibilities of young people who are coming of age on social media, messaging platforms, and digital learning tools.

Ms. Ankrah told the gathering that the constitution is not limited to physical spaces and stressed that every post, comment, share, and online interaction either strengthens or weakens the principles of democracy, rule of law, and human dignity.

She urged pupils and students to see themselves as digital citizens with the same obligations to truth, respect, and accountability that apply offline.

“Our children are growing up digital. They learn, socialize, and express opinions online before many of them fully understand their rights and duties under the 1992 Constitution. This week is about closing that gap,” Ms. Ankrah stated.

She called on parents, educators, and content creators to model responsible digital conduct and to teach children how to verify information, avoid hate speech, and use online platforms to promote national cohesion.

Ms. Ankrah emphasized that upholding the constitution in the digital age is a collective responsibility.

She challenged the media, tech influencers, and civil society to amplify messages that promote accuracy and respect and to call out content that incites division or violates the rights of others.

The NCCE Eastern Regional Director said activities will run throughout the week in all 33 districts, with a closing event expected to showcase student projects on digital citizenship and constitutional literacy.

The launch signals a shift in civic education toward the realities of a connected Ghana, where constitutional values must be lived not only in classrooms and courtrooms but also in comment sections, group chats, and online communities.

The 2026 Citizenship Week programme in the Eastern Region will feature school outreaches, radio discussions, community forums, and social media campaigns.

NCCE officers will engage learners on topics including cyberbullying, misinformation, digital privacy, and the constitutional limits of freedom of expression. Special sessions will also highlight Article 21 on freedom of speech and Article 41 on the duties of citizens, showing how both apply in online spaces.

Traditional authorities present at the launch welcomed the regional sub-theme and noted that many chieftaincy disputes and community tensions now originate from viral posts and unverified videos.

They pledged to work with the NCCE to sensitize youth in their areas on using digital tools to preserve, not erode, social harmony.

The NCCE’s annual Citizenship Week is a flagship programme aimed at shaping young people into responsible, patriotic citizens. It focuses on basic school pupils across the country, treating them as agents of change and future leaders.

The week is used to remind young Ghanaians of their responsibilities as citizens and their role in building a strong, vibrant, and democratic Ghana, as well as inculcate values like patriotism, discipline, unity, national cohesion, respect, and hard work.

NCCE also uses the celebration to teach the duties of a citizen under Article 41 of the 1992 Constitution.

NCCE during the period, would engage volunteers and role models from academia, business, clergy, media, leadership, and the community to interact with pupils in schools. These eminent personalities impart virtues of good citizenship and democratic values.

Citizenship Week was instituted in 2012 as part of the broader Annual Constitution Week celebration, which commemorates Ghana’s return to constitutional rule with the adoption of the 1992 Constitution. It usually runs from May 26 to June 2 each year.

In short, Citizenship Week is NCCE’s way of catching children young, building their civic consciousness, and preparing them to uphold Ghana’s constitution and values as they grow up.

As part of the celebration in the Eastern Region, civic education engagements will be carried out across all 33 districts, reaching pupils and communities with key messages on responsible citizenship in the digital era.

This year’s celebration empowers pupils to become responsible digital citizens and agents of positive change. Through engagements on local radio stations, young ambassadors will educate the public on safe, respectful, and responsible online behaviour.

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