NDC launches social democracy school
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has launched a political training institution to train party comrades and other interested stakeholders in the fundamental principles and philosophy of the party.
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The Ghana Institute of Social Democracy (GISD) will also train party comrades in other relevant programmes related to politics, social democracy and governance.
Launch
Launching the institute at the party’s headquarters in Accra last Thursday, the General Secretary of the party, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, said the Ghanaian electorate have become more sophisticated and discerning, thus winning their hearts and minds goes beyond the mundane political rhetoric.
He said the NDC as a party was challenged to equip activists with the right working tools which had to do with the knowledge of the philosophical underpinnings of the party.
Mr Nketia re-echoed the fact that the future of democracy lies in the conscious effort to shift politics away from personalities, ethnicity, religious identities and physical might towards a regime of ideas, knowledge, policies and programmes.
He said it was the hope of the NDC that, “as our democracy matures, political parties in Ghana will be able to offer the electorate clear distinct and implementable policy choices.”
The general secretary added that the electorate on the other hand, while making a choice will also be fully aware of the implications of the vote they cast, adding that the contribution as a party towards realising these national objectives is the establishment of the Ghana Institute of Social Democracy.
Five committees to see to the establishment of the institute were inaugurated.
They are the Interim Governing Council, Estates, Academic Affairs, Administration and the Finance Sub committees.
Objectives
The key objectives of the school include providing continuing education for members and appointees on the ideology of the party, building the capacity of party members in areas of leadership, party organisation, management and governance; generating new ideas to expand the knowledge base of the party and its functionaries, support the party in the formulation of policies and in the preparation of party manifestoes and other sector-specific policy documents. Furthermore, it will conduct research and analysis on national and global development issues and advise the party and its government accordingly, undertake different forms of publications and identification of talent and mentoring.
Both the acting Rector of the GISD, Dr William Ahadzie and the Chairman of the NDC, Mr Kofi Portuphy, called on all who shared social democratic ideology to support the institute.
Vision
The vision of the GISD is to become an institution of choice in the study of politics, governance and social democracy in Africa.
The school shall be open to all Ghanaians, especially cadres of the NDC, as well as progressive political parties, civil society groups who share in the social democratic philosophy.
Proposed programmes
The institute shall run courses including but not limited to; Philosophy, Principle and Practice of Social Democracy, Political Economy of Development, Elections and Electoral Systems, Gender Mainstreaming, Youth Development, Development and Environment Sustainability, Grassroots Political Mobilisation and Activism, Public Sector Management, Public Policy Formulation and Implementation among others.
