Upholding Sovereignty While Harnessing Diaspora Talent

Ghana has to attract the best of talent from home and abroad if it is to build a prosperous, competitive, and resilient nation in the 21st century.

The Ghanaian diaspora represents an extraordinary reservoir of skills, capital, networks, and ideas. Their remittances exceeded US$7.8 billion in a single recent year. The diaspora community constitute a vital pillar of our economy.

Yet in our legitimate drive to harness this global Ghanaian family more deeply in governance and public service, we must never compromise the singular loyalty demanded by the most sensitive offices of the Republic.

The Council of State’s recent advice against passage of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (Amendment) Bill, 2025 - reflects precisely this prudent balance.

The Bill sought to amend Article 8(2) of the 1992 Constitution, removing long-standing restrictions that bar dual citizens from occupying certain critical positions. The Council, after careful review under Article 291(2), concluded that Ghana should not change the long established rule on who holds what position.

The framers of Ghana’s Constitution were not animated by xenophobia or small-mindedness. They recognised a timeless truth: certain offices sit at the very heart of national sovereignty and security. These include the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director of Immigration, Ambassadors and High Commissioners, the Secretary to the Cabinet, and other roles involving the command of coercive power, the safeguarding of borders, the conduct of foreign relations, and the administration of sensitive state functions.

A person holding dual citizenship owes legal and moral obligations to two sovereign states. In an age of hybrid warfare, cyber threats, intelligence competition, and shifting geopolitical alliances, even the perception of divided loyalty can undermine public trust and operational effectiveness.

The requirement of undivided allegiance for these roles is not discriminatory; it is a standard upheld by many mature democracies - Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Mexico. These countries ban dual citizens from holding cabinet positions for national security and sovereignty reasons.

The United States, for example, requires its President to be a natural-born citizen. Numerous countries impose citizenship-only requirements for heads of intelligence, defence chiefs, and senior diplomatic posts.

Ghana’s current framework already permits dual citizenship. Ghanaians abroad may hold Ghanaian passports alongside those of other nations, invest freely, and contribute expertise across most sectors of the economy and society. The restrictions are narrowly tailored to the highest offices of state. This is not exclusion; it is responsible constitutional design.

Supporting the Council of State’s counsel does not mean turning our backs on the diaspora. On the contrary, it frees us to design more creative and effective mechanisms for engagement.

The Council of State comprises eminent citizens with deep institutional memory and no immediate political axe to grind. Its advice, though not binding, carries significant constitutional weight. The Executive and Parliament would do well to treat it with the respect the framers intended.

Constitutional amendments touching citizenship and eligibility for high office are not ordinary legislation; they go to the heart of what it means to be a sovereign republic.

Ghana’s strength has always lain in its ability to blend openness with prudence, hospitality with vigilance, and ambition with wisdom. The Council of State has reminded us of that balance at a critical moment.

We can, and must, attract the best talent from every corner of the world and every Ghanaian community abroad. But we must do so without eroding the constitutional and security foundations that make Ghana worth returning to, investing in, and defending. The Council of State has pointed the way. Ghana would be wise to follow.

Ras Mubarak, Campaign Lead, Pan-African Visa-Free Campaign. Accra, Ghana. July 2026

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