NCCE launches programme on violent extremism
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has launched a €1.7m sensitisation programme on violent extremism and terrorism in the country.
Known as Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE), the programme will also help promote social cohesion, peace and tolerance.
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It will be implemented in 63 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) in the five regions of the north, as well as the Oti, Bono and Bono East regions, over the next 18 months.
It is being funded by the European Union (EU).
The Chairperson of the NCCE, Kathleen Addy, and the Head of Security and Governance of the EU Delegation in Ghana, Anna Lixi, signed the grant agreement for the launch of the programme in Accra yesterday.
The Head of the EU Delegation in Ghana, Irchad Razaaly, led the delegation to the signing ceremony.
It was witnessed by heads of some security institutions, including the Executive Secretary of the Small Arms and Light Weapons Commission, Afi Azaratu Yakubu, and the Director, the Counter-Terrorism and Fusion Centre of the Ministry of National Security, Col Dr Tim Ba-Taa-Banah.
Activities
Ms Addy mentioned some of the activities the commission would undertake as rallying state and non-state actors at the national, regional and community levels to support the fight against violent extremism and terrorism.
It would also embark on community engagements and identify individuals who were at risk of joining violent groups and work with them to adopt more desirable attitudes and behaviours, she said.
She further said the NCCE would undertake a baseline study, hold information-sharing sessions on extremism, engage the youth and media practitioners and also organise symposia in tertiary institutions to educate students on threats of terrorism.
She called on all stakeholders and the citizenry to support the project to succeed by helping to fish out people whose activities could derail the security of the country.
"We call on our traditional rulers, faith-based groups, specifically Imams and the clergy, to support our efforts to increase awareness of violent extremism," she added.
Ms Addy further entreated the citizenry to be "watchful, vigilant and prepare to guard our security and, by extension, our national security".
Commitment
For his part, Mr Razaaly stressed the need for all to join hands to ensure the project succeeded, saying violent extremism and terrorism were ticking time bombs that could sink the country.
He said the activities of extremists in the Gulf of Guinea should be a wake-up call for the nation to be proactive.
According to him, the EU decided to partner the NCCE because of the commission's track record in educating the people on election security over the years.