ALL MUST HOLD TIGHT, GHANA’S DEMOCRATIC STATUS – HON. ATAOGYE 6th March, 2024

The District Chief Executive [DCE] for the Kassena-Nankana West District in the Upper East Region Hon. Gerard Ataogye, has praised Ghana and Ghanaians for the country’s perpetual and enviable reputation as the beacon of democracy in Africa and the commendations the country continues to receive globally, for her stability in governance.

Hon. Ataogye [midddle] Addressing the Parade
The DCE who was addressing a parade of several hundreds of school children at Ghana’s 67th Independence Anniversary celebrations held in the Paga township on Wednesday, 6th March, 2024, empahsised that, “our respect for the principles of democratic governance, accountability, human rights and the rule of law, has enabled us to oversee eight uninterrupted presidential elections and peaceful transition of power in the 4th Republic through the ballot box from one party to the other”. He therefore charged all Ghanaians to be inspired by this as the country reflects on her 32 years of democratic dispensation and the successes chalked through the period stressing that, “ we should be inspired to hold on to this status”. 

A total of 25 schools comprising 10 Primary Schools, 10 Junior High Schools and five Senior High Schools as well as some social and artisanal groupings and political parties participated in the 67th Anniversary parade under the theme, “Our Democracy, Our Pride”. Traditional authorities, heads of department, heads of the security agencies in the district and their officers and some members of the public, all witnessed the event.

Meanwhile Hon. Ataogye urged the school pupils to take their academic work seriously and embrace education not only as a means of personal achievement, but also, as an important tool for nation building. He also used the occasion to enumerate a number of projects government had provided for the district’s education sector and revealed that, some 4-number 6-unit classroom blocks have since been completed under the GetFUND and handed over for use in the communities of Sakaa, Kajelo, Chania and Paga Town. He added that the number of schools under the Ghana School Feeding Programme in the district also increased over time, from 59 to a current figure of 69 schools with an enrollment of 17, 049 pupils.

The DCE’s address also touched on health and brought to light, the worrying rise in the HIV/AIDS infection rates in the area; issuing an urgent call for action from all stakeholders to help reverse the situation. This is the disclosure he made; a 0.12 percent of infections in 2021, 0.21 percent in 2022 and a further climb to the 2023 figure of 0.27 percent infections.  

Kassena-Nankana West District Education Director, Mr. George Bebuga Woyongo who also addressed the parade earlier, said Ghana had come a long way since independence and through the era of democracy and advised that, as Ghanaians, “we must reject all forms of tyranny, corruption and oppression as these vices seek to undermine the integrity of our democratic institutions and the gains we have collectively achieved”.

Students Of Chiana SHS On The Move
 

Mr. Woyongo noted that, education plays a pivotal role in nurturing and sustaining democracy and pledged that as educators, himself and his staff will continue to diligently discharge that responsibility to instill in the students, the values of tolerance, respect and constructive civic engagement. 

“We must empower them with the knowledge and skills they need to become active participants in the democratic process – to question authority and to hold their leaders responsible”, he added.

 

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