Accra: The Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has engaged youth groups to empower them with knowledge and legal frameworks in combating corruption.
According to Ghana News Agency, the engagement was under the NCCE's 'Civic Engagements on the Rule of Law and the Fight Against Corruption' project, which sought to empower young people with practical knowledge on the rule of law, civic rights, legal frameworks such as the Whistleblower Act, and their role in promoting transparency and accountability. The project is being implemented in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and co-funded by the European Union (EU).
Mr. Yusif Usman, the Acting Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal NCCE Director, stated during the event that the project formed part of coordinated educational campaigns targeting out-of-school youth to champion the fight against corruption in their communities. He highlighted that the youth were a crucial demographic in Ghana's anti-corruption and governance landscape, with many of them interacting regularly with public systems and officials. However, limited access to civic education left them vulnerable to corrupt practices and unaware of legal protections and accountability mechanisms.
Mr. Usman emphasized that the project aimed to strengthen the youth's understanding of the principles of the rule of law along with their civic rights, responsibilities, and anti-corruption mechanisms. He encouraged the participants to be active advocates against corruption, stating it was their civic duty and responsibility to speak out against wrongdoing without fear of victimisation.
Madam Catherine Mensah-Asare, Western Regional NCCE Programmes Officer, educated the participants on anti-corruption laws, including the Whistleblower Act, Special Prosecutor Act, and the Right to Information Act. She noted that these laws had been enacted to empower citizens to fight corruption among individuals and institutions. She added that corruption manifested in forms such as bribery, nepotism, conflict of interest, and embezzlement, particularly in environments where laws were weakly enforced.
Madam Mensah-Asare encouraged participants to report any act of corruption in their communities to the appropriate authorities, urging them to play their roles in ending corruption and related offences in their communities and the country in general. The event was attended by representatives from the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, religious and traditional leaders, Civil Society Organisations, and youth groups.
