Committee to promote volunteerism inaugurated
A 13-member National Planning Committee tasked to put in place mechanisms that would promote volunteering activities in the country has been inaugurated.
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The committee is also expected to establish the National Volunteer Infrastructure (NVI), an initiative to create awareness of contributions individuals make to development through voluntary actions in Ghana.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony , the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, said since the work of volunteers was crucial in attaining the development goals of every developing nation, there was the need for proper mechanisms to be implemented in order to raise their level of contribution.
National development
Nana Oye Lithur said volunteering activities in the country had been one of the building blocks that had, over the past years,helped to promote national development.
According to her, even though the national drive for citizens to contribute to communal and national development through volunteering had waned, its immense contribution had helped develop various sectors in the Ghanaian society.
Nana Oye Lithur, therefore urged the government and key stakeholders to play their part in ensuring that the nation supported volunteering as a strategy to enhance social developmental goals.
“We must,therefore, work hard towards achieving a favourable policy and regulatory framework; recognition and promotion of volunteerism for development and committed national leadership,” she emphasised.
Set-up measures
The Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mr Dominic Sam, advised that measures should be put in place to ensure that the objective of the initiative was achieved.
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According to him, those measures would help recognise the contributions of volunteers and encourage more citizens to become active.
He lauded the Ministry and the Department of Social Welfare for their support.
The Chairman of the Committee, Mr James Kodwo Morgan, on behalf of the committee, gave an assurance that members of the committee would work together to execute the mandate bestowed on them.
Members of the committee
The other members of the committee are Mr Dela Ashiabor from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Pastor Chris Kofi Nyame, President of the Coalition of Volunteering Organisations in Ghana (COVOG), Nii Dodoo Dodoo, Country Director for Youth Challenge International (YCI).
The rest are Mr Ernest P. Nyame-Annan, National Youth Development Officer of the Ghana Red Cross Society, Ms Hannah Meizah Ghansan; Programme Assistant of the United Nations Volunteers, Field Unit, Accra (UNVC), Ms Abena Acheampong, Country Director for World University Service of Canada (WUSC).