The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has appealed for logistics and budgetary support to enable it to efficiently carry out its constitutional duties.

Mr. Alhassan Yakubu, the Ashanti Regional Director, said this has become even more necessary as preparations towards this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections gathered momentum.

He complained that the Commission was under-resourced and said that was affecting performance.

Speaking at a day’s seminar held at the Noda Hotel at Fumesua in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality for some selected journalists, he said the NCCE would need to step up the engagement with identifiable bodies including the political parties, youth, chiefs, religious leaders and the general public for smooth and peaceful conduct of the polls.

The people must be assisted to have a better understanding of the electoral process and the expected roles all would have to play to grow the country’s democracy.

This, he said, would help reduce the political intolerance, indiscipline, suspicion and violence borne out of ignorance.

The seminar was organized by the Hunger Project-Ghana, an NGO, to highlight the media’s responsibility towards ensuring the peace before, during and after the elections.

It formed part of activities being implemented by the organization under its “We know politics” programme.

Dr Naana Agyemang-Mensah, Country Director of the NGO, noted that the Ghanaian media had become vibrant and important in shaping public opinion and behavior hence the decision to aid them to do their job with high levels of professionalism.**