The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has received GHS2.5 million from the COVID-19 National Trust Fund to support public education on the pandemic.

In line with an earlier proposal tabled before managers of the Fund, the Commission acquired 10 Cross Country Nissan public education vans, 50 public address systems to be mounted on the vehicles, 100 manual megaphones for street public education, four graphic design and production equipment, and communication gadgets.

The NCCE, also received funding for collaboration with Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) to ensure some limited research and secure logistics to aid the NCCE in its civic education delivery.

At a brief handing over ceremony in Accra, the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees for the COVID-19 National Trust Fund, former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo, endorsed NCCE's capacity to engage citizens on COVID-19, to correct the myths and disbelief associated with the global pandemic.

The Chairman of NCCE, Ms. Josephine Nkrumah, was full of praise for the managers of the Fund, President Akufo-Addo and Ghanaians for supporting the Commission's work.

She said: “The way this funding was structured ensured that every aspect of our communication, community engagements and all other aspects that allow us or give us that capacity to go out there is catered for and I would like to express my gratitude to the Trust Fund for this donation.”

“With the help that we have received so far, today there is news of us entering shrines, crossing rivers, going into the real hinterlands to reach vulnerable groups to give them much needed education and support. Some of our strategies have changed to accommodate the new normal and they would continue to change to respond to the needs and necessities of the time,” she added.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo inaugurated the Board of Trustees of the COVID-19 National Trust Fund on Sunday, 29 March 2020.

The Board of Trustees, chaired by former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, is to receive contributions and donations from the public to assist with the welfare of the needy and the vulnerable.

Other members of the Board are Archbishop Justice Offei Akrofi, Mr. Jude Kofi Bucknor, Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, Mrs Elsie Addo-Awadzie, Dr. Ernest Ofori-Sarpong, Dr Tanko and Mr Collins Asare.

President Akufo-Addo said during the inauguration, “I felt that the best way was to establish a public trust, so that the monies that come do not get intermingled with Government money and all of those problems. A public trust that is to be managed by an independent body of trustees, so that people will see that these monies are being properly accounted for and properly deployed.”