A 5-member delegation led by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) Chairperson, Kathleen Addy, paid a courtesy call on Governor Ernest Addison and Bank of Ghana management to seek a mutually-beneficial relationships between the two institutions.
In his remarks, Bank of Ghana Governor, Dr. Ernest Addison, stated that public education on the proper handling of currency notes will be one of the key areas of collaboration. He lamented that some Ghanaians handle currency notes poorly, and urged the NCCE to play a key role in the Bank’s ‘Clean Notes Campaign’ initiative, including helping to educate citizens on the proper handling of Ghana’s currency notes.
He indicated that some Ghanaians are averse to the use of coins, and explained the importance of using them – adding that they are more durable and less costly to produce than currency notes.
He said aversion to using coins has an impact on pricing, as vendors avoid the use of coins by rounding-off prices – a situation that negatively impacts the central bank’s inflation objective.
On her part, Ms. Addy mentioned that the visit’s purpose was to introduce herself as the NCCE’s newly-appointed Chairperson, and also discuss areas of mutual collaboration.
She stated that the NCCE is an independent, non-partisan governance institution established under the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, with a mandate to educate citizens on their rights and responsibilities, as well as work toward entrenching democracy in Ghana.
Ms. Addy stated that the NCCE played a key role in the Ghanaian public’s education and sensitisation during the Bank’s cedi-redenomination exercise in 2007.
Ms. Addy expressed gratitude to the Governor for the warm reception at the Bank, and welcomed the proposal to intensify public education on proper handling of Ghana’s currency notes.
The Chairperson was accompanied by a Commission Member, Victor Brobbey; the Acting Commission Secretary, Lucille Hewlett Annan; Director of Programmes, Dr. Imurana Mohammed; and Director of Finance, Monica Mamattah.
In the Governor’s team were the first and second deputy-Governors, Dr. Maxwell Opoku-Afari and Elsie Addo Awadzi; the Director of Research, Dr. Philip Abradu-Otoo; the Bank’s Secretary, Sandra Thompson, and other officials.
