Ashanti NCCE Director calls for replacement of inactive APRM-DOC members

Kodie (Ash), April 10, GNA - Mr. Yakubu Alhassan, Ashanti Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has called for the replacement of inactive members of the District Oversight Committee (DOC) of the African Peer Review Mechanism.

He said the APRM, as "the eye and ear' of the Government should have people who are desirous to work to foster unity, transparency, accountability, democracy and cultural values.

Mr. Alhassan was reacting to a report on inactiveness on the part of members of the Committee at a day's education and sensitization meeting organized jointly by the Afigya-Kwabre APRM-DOC and the District NCCE at Kodie.

He said the APRM was not a political, ethnic or religious organization but a group committed to making Africa progressive, competitive, modern and performance-oriented.

Mr Alhassan called on members of the Committee regularly deliberate on issues that would help the APRM to function effectively in the district.

He expressed concern about antagonism between the ruling National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party, the main opposition party in the country, and called for tolerance and reconciliation among members of the two parties.

Mr Alhassan said "Political opponents are not enemies. We should therefore see each other as one people with a common destiny."

He said the nation belonged to all Ghanaians and after the 2008 Election, "we have to come together to evolve common strategies to build the country as one people one nation".

Mr. Sampson Adu-Poku, member of the Afigya-Kwabre APRM-DOC, said APRM was based on the pillars of governance, democracy and good political governance, economic governance and management, corporate governance and socio-economic development.

He said the uniqueness of the APRM was that it had introduced a new culture to manage and conduct national affairs adding that to prevent countries from relapse APRM demanded a country's report every six months from the focal point and a yearly report from the head of the government.

To strengthen the APRM, Mr Adu-Poku said government had to support the implementation of its national programme of action from domestic resources.

Nana Kusi Oboadum, Chief of Wawase and Chairman of the Committee, asked the people and members of the Committee in the district to collaborate.

He called on Ghanaians to perform their civic and social responsibilities towards national development, irrespective of their political inclinations.

Mr. Wilberforce Zangina, the District Director of the NCCE, asked Ghanaians to support the government in the fight against poverty, ignorance and disease.

GNA