The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has called for stronger collaboration with the Ghana Police Service to address lawlessness, drug-related challenges and other forms of indiscipline in communities.

The Chairperson of the NCCE, Kathleen Addy, said civic education would have limited impact if it was not supported by effective law enforcement to ensure that citizens understood and respected their rights and responsibilities.

Ms Addy made the call when she visited the Cape Coast District Police Commander, Valentine Kpodo, as part of her engagements in the Central Region.

The engagements were aimed at strengthening civic education and institutional partnerships.

She said the commission’s work was largely community-based, with officers engaging people at markets, lorry parks, churches, mosques, trade associations, youth clubs, women’s associations and groups for persons with special needs.

According to her, the need for civic education was “now more than ever” because of challenges such as indiscipline and poor environmental governance confronting communities.

Joint initiatives

Ms Addy also called for a joint initiative between the NCCE and the police to address drug-related challenges and promote community safety.

She said the NCCE was, therefore, seeking stronger partnerships with institutions whose work complemented its mandate.

During the visit, she also engaged the University of Cape Coast (UCC), which presented 100 copies of the Constitution to the NCCE for distribution as part of its civic education activities.

Ms Addy expressed appreciation to the university for the gesture, saying the donation was particularly timely as Ghana was going through a constitutional review process.

She said the copies would provide citizens with a reference point to better understand the Constitution and participate meaningfully in ongoing public discussions about proposed amendments.

She further called for stronger collaboration between the NCCE and UCC to deepen civic education among students, particularly through civic education clubs, debates, quizzes and other campus-based programmes.

She said the youth were an important target for civic education because the next generation of leaders needed to develop stronger values, integrity and a sense of responsibility.

Ms Addy also visited the Philip Quaque Boys School in Cape Coast as part of her engagements in the city.

She said the NCCE was committed to expanding its partnerships with institutions and communities to promote responsible citizenship and strengthen Ghana’s democratic culture.

The Cape Coast District Police Commander, Superintendent Valentine Kpodo, said the relationship between the two institutions was important because civic education and law enforcement have complementary roles in promoting responsible citizenship and safer communities.

At UCC, the acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor, UCC, Professor Christine Adu-Yeboah, expressed management’s readiness to deepen collaboration with the NCCE.

Welcomed Ms Addy’s visit and said the university appreciated her decision to personally acknowledge the institution’s support.

She said UCC was open to further collaboration, particularly with the Faculty of Law and students, and suggested programmes around student parliamentary debates and constitutional issues.

She said the university had already established a civic education club and was also engaging student groups on leadership and good governance.

An engagement organised in August 2026, which was initially expected to attract about 50 students, eventually drew 105 participants, demonstrating strong student interest in civic and leadership issues.