After weeks of heated debates between some 16 selected schools nationwide, the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Wednesday February 28 proved beyond doubt that they were not merely managers and public administrators but experts as far as governance and issues of the constitution are concerned by emerging winners in the maiden edition of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) 2018 Challenge.
GIMPA after kicking out Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in the semi-finals gained an opportunity to face their opponents; University of Education, Winneba, one they didn’t take lightly.
With a firm stance on the cons foreign aid pose to Ghana’s development, they argued their way to the top, detailing their points accurately, accumulating some 835 points over their competitors UEW who trailed behind with 781 points.
Speaking for the motion on the topic, “60 years beyond independence; foreign aid is needless to Ghana’s development”, GIMPA, represented by Antonette Abotchie, Elias Ashkar, and Silas Boateng argued that “continuous dependence on foreign aid will encourage laziness as well as prolong Ghana’s problems as it only provides short-term solutions.”
They supported the President’s vision of a country beyond aid, where the resources available will be put to good use.
According to GIMPA, this vision will be possible if government concentrates on the untapped tax revenue from the informal sector.
On their part, UEW represented by Apaflo Lawyer, Fred Aning and Ali Adamu argued that even “developed countries like Britain and the United States of America still accept aid in time of crises.”
According to UEW, Ghana would not have survived if not for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) structural adjustment program.
They further cited countries such as South Korea and South Africa as being developed only because of previous aids and support given by other countries.
GIMPA won the day taking home a cash price of two thousand Ghana cedis.
Commending the team and the various schools which participated in the civic education challenge, the Executive Director of the NCCE, Josephine Nkrumah said although the commission was financially handicapped, it was grateful for the support from the President, Nana Akufo-Addo and the Information Ministry.
She called on corporate Ghana to developed interest in such events so they can come on board as sponsors.
Whilst, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) placed third and took home a cash prize of five hundred Ghana cedis, University Of Education, Winneba took home one thousand Ghana cedis as second runners-up.
The National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) University Challenge is expected to be an annual event organized by the NCCE. This year’s event was graced by Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid and representatives from some universities.
