Parliament receives Constitutional Amendment Bill

Parliament has formally received the Constitution of Ghana Amendment Bill, 2025, marking the beginning of legislative scrutiny of proposals aimed at altering eligibility criteria for certain high offices of state.

The bill seeks to lift existing constitutional provisions that prevent dual citizens or persons who owe allegiance to another country from occupying specific public positions. The offices affected include Ambassador or High Commissioner, Secretary to the Cabinet, Chief of Defence Staff or any Service Chief, and the Inspector General of Police.

After the First Reading, the First Deputy Speaker, Bernard Ahiafor, referred the proposed amendment to the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee for in depth examination and subsequent report to the House.

In a separate development, Parliament has also taken the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, widely referred to as the anti LGBTQ bill, through its First Reading.

The proposed legislation seeks to criminalise activities linked to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. It is being sponsored by 10 Members of Parliament from both sides of the aisle, reflecting cross party support for the initiative.

Following its introduction, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, directed the bill to the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee for further review and report.

Speaking on the floor of the House on Tuesday, February 17, lead sponsor John Ntim Fordjour underscored the urgency of passing the bill. He maintained that the proposal enjoys bipartisan backing and called on the House and the relevant committees to expedite its consideration before the current meeting adjourns.

“It is the expectation of the sponsors which is bipartisan. It is a bipartisan private members' bill which must be on record. And the expectation is that within this meeting, this honourable house and all relevant committees will attach alacrity to this bill to pass it with urgency before this house rises.

“Because it is not a new bill. It is an old bill which has gone through all the processes, consultations and already survived a plethora of legal and dissenting opinions. And has gone all the way to supreme court and held that no aspect of this bill affronts any aspect of our constitution,” he said.