NCCE urges residents of Akaa to take keen interest in protecting the environment

The Jasikan District National Commission for Civic Education ( NCCE ) with support from the European Commission on Tuesday, September 10, 2019 organized a public education program to sensitize indigenes of Akaa, a farming community in the district on the need to protect their environment from degradation.

The program is part of series of outreaches that the NCCE is undertaking in the district to enlighten its citizens to be ‘keepers of their immediate environment’ under the theme; “Public education on corruption and environmental governance”.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Lawrence Kwabena Tsyawo, a retired Education Director, who spoke on the topic ‘environmental governance’, advised that indigenes should be interested in protecting their environment from degradation.

He said, ‘trees, animals and the land itself are special gifts from God to mankind which must be protected for own survival’.

‘God has therefore entrusted these creations in our hands for us to be stewards of them, not only that but also to effectively utilize them for our benefits', he added.

Mr Tsyawo took the opportunity to educate the indigenes on the impending ban on the hunt for wildlife in the country which took effect on August 1, adding that, ‘we know we are in a farming community in which hunting also takes place but we must be careful not to violate the regulation put in place by the wildlife division of the forestry commission'.

On corruption, the District Director for the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice ( CHRAJ), Mr Modey Bright educated the people on the various forms of corruption citing, bribery, misappropriation of funds, embezzlement, extortion, misuse of office property, provision of poor quality service as activities that could lead one into corruption.

Mr Modey touched on the whistleblowers act of Ghana saying that, ‘this act helps to insulate well-meaning citizens who take up the responsibility of exposing wrongdoing in the society from any possible victimization that could come from affected people or the community in general'.

He, therefore, advised the indigenes to take advantage of this legal provision and come forward boldly to report any wrongdoings in their societies to the appropriate authorities for action to be taken.

The people gathered were given an opportunity to ask questions to further clarify anything that has been said by the resource persons, after which questionnaires were distributed among the people to elicit their views generally on corruption perception in the country and ways they think this menace can be curbed.

Also in attendance were the District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education ( NCCE), Mr Stephen Mensah, Chief of Akaa, Nana Oppong Keteku, Queen mother of Akaa, Nana Serwaa, Heads of clans, representatives from recognized groups in town and the general public.