Ms Josephine Nkrumah, Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), on Wednesday launched the 2021 National Annual “Citizenship Week,” celebration in Tema.

The 2021 Citizenship commemoration on the theme: “We are one, Ghana first,” starts on Wednesday, May 26 to Wednesday, June 2.

Ms Nkrumah said the weeklong activities aimed at inculcating in first and second cycle students the values of citizenship and reminding them of their responsibilities and roles to build a strong, vibrant, and democratic Ghana.

The NCCE introduced the Citizenship Week celebration in 2012 as part of the annual Constitution Week celebration.

Ms Nkrumah launched the activities during the third “End of Month Stakeholder Engagement and Workers Appreciation Day,” seminar organized by the Ghana News Agency.

The engagement is a platform rolled out for state and non-state actors to address national issues.

It also recognizes the contribution of journalists towards national development.

The NCCE Chairperson explained that the Citizenship Week celebration was a platform for people in leadership positions to interact and impart virtues of good citizenship to pupils across the country.

Ms Nkrumah said the Commission’s vision was to be an effective Independent Governance Institution, delivering civic education to all Ghanaians and working towards sustaining Ghana’s democracy.

She said: “Integrity, Presence, and Independence are our core values and guiding principles in executing our constitutional mandate.”

Ms Nkrumah said the theme for the celebration was premised on the NCCE’s quest to instil and promote unity and national cohesion among the Ghanaian citizenry.

“It further emphasises the issue as it enjoins the state to promote the integration of all people of Ghana and prohibit discrimination and prejudice on grounds of place of origin, circumstances of birth, ethnic origin, gender or religion, creed, or other beliefs.

“The state is to further take appropriate measures to foster a spirit of loyalty to Ghana that overrides sectional ethnic and other loyalties,” she stated.

Ms Nkrumah said the Commission was reminding Ghanaians of the values, which were embedded in the duties of a citizen enshrined in Article 41 of the 1992 Constitution.

Mrs Laudia Sawer, Editor, GNA, in a welcome address, said the platform was to deepen the working relations with the stakeholders to ensure that both the media and the corporate world work together towards national development.

She said the GNA would want to deepen its relations with stakeholders for mutual benefit and the development of the country.

The third Stakeholder Engagement and Workers Appreciation Day seminar was attended by the National Commission for Civic Education, Association of Oil Marketing Companies, Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority, and the Tema Regional Police Command.