The European Union (EU), has released a sum of 5 million Euros to the Electoral Commission (EC), National Media Commission (NMC), and the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) as a grant to assist in the conduct of the December presidential and parliamentary elections. at a brief ceremony on Wednesday.
The Head of the EU Delegation to Ghana, Ambassador William Hannah in his address at the ceremony to launch the release of the funds on Wednesday mentioned that the support of the three constitutional and governance bodies was a clear indication of the EU’s commitment to the growth of democracy and the governance process in Ghana.
The funds is expected to contribute significantly to the implementation of the electoral reforms recommended by the Justice Atuguba panel of judges in the 2013 Election Petition case and also to strengthen the operations of the EC, NMC and the NCCE to ensure a smooth electoral process.
Ambassador Hanna further indicated that, some of the EU member states are also adding up to support the 2016 polls through their bilateral programs and specific assistance for the electoral process; an indication of how much the EU values Ghana’s democratic credentials and the EU’s commitment to support the country in this regard.
In her remarks, the Chair of the EC, Mrs. Charlotte Osei mentioned that the support is very significant as “unlike other donor supports, the EU is supporting all the three institutions because the EC works very closely with the other governance institutions as well as other stakeholders”. In her words, “how strong the NMC is, how strong the NCCE is directly impacts on our work, and how weak they are impacts on our work,”
She was optimistic that the fact the funds would help them work effectively and efficiently to finalise all the needed preparations far ahead of the polls.
By: Ben David Twum – Ampofo
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