NCCE engages c’nities on accountability, good governance
The National
Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) has engaged communities in Greater Accra
on issues of accountability, probity, transparency and good environmental
governance.
The programme was aimed at sensitising and
educating residents on the negative impacts of corruption on national
development and how to safeguard the environment through good governance.
It was under
the auspices of the Commission’s Anti- Corruption Action Plan (ARAP) in
collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other
stakeholders, to bring the programme to the doorstep of the residents which
formed part of Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption programme
initiated by the commission to deal with corruption-related issues.
Isaac Antwi, Tema Metropolitan Director, NCCE,
said they made use of local opinion leaders to disseminate information to
community members and brought the programme to the doorstep of residents by
engaging assembly members and opinion leaders so as to share what they had
heard to others.
Herbert Kpodo, who represented Accra East
Regional Director of EPA, noted that unplanned settlements, indiscipline,
negative attitudes towards environment, non-compliance with environmental
regulations and inadequate collaboration between traditional authorities and metropolitan,
municipal, and district assemblies in allocation of land, were concerns mostly
expressed in the metropolis and such gatherings were crucial to good
environmental governance.
“To ensure good environmental governance,
EPA was implementing Environmental Impact Assess Regulation, LI 1652, as an
effective and efficient tool to prevent hazardous developments in communities,
developed standards that must be strictly adhered to for effluent discharges,
ambient air quality and point source emissions, noise control, weighted sound
levels, and motor vehicle emissions, anyone caught contravening these standards
will be prosecuted,” Mr Kpodo noted.
Joseph Bempah,
the Tema Regional Commander, Motor Traffic and Transport Division of the Ghana
Police Service, observed that the country had enacted a number of legislations
to deal with the issue of corruption, Whistleblower Act which sought to
encourage persons with information about public and private persons who engaged
in acts of impropriety, and abuse of office to report to appropriate places.
“The Act stipulates types of information
that can be disclosed, persons entitled to make disclosures, individuals and
institutions that qualify to receive such information, provides protection and
immunity from criminal prosecution in instances where whistleblower knew and
believes information given is truthful,” Mr Bempah stressed. -gna.org
