CSOs sound alarm over Ghana’s constitutional reform timeline, demand binding implementation law

Civil society organisations have intensified calls for a legally binding framework to drive Ghana’s constitutional reform process, warning that the ambitious exercise could lose momentum if it is not protected from the effects of political transitions.

The call was made at a two-day media engagement on constitutional reforms organised by the Citizens’ Platform on Constitutional Reforms (CPCR) in Kumasi.

According to Victoria Asumin, a member of the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Team of Amnesty International, the submission of the Constitution Review Committee’s report has moved the reform process into a crucial implementation phase.

She said the next stage required more than political commitment, stressing that clearly defined timelines, institutional responsibilities and accountability mechanisms were necessary to move the recommendations from paper into action.

CALL FOR ROADMAP LAW
Ms Asumin disclosed that the Citizens’ Platform, convened by CDD-Ghana, STAR-Ghana Foundation and Democracy Hub, together with local governance networks, was advocating the enactment of a Constitutional Reform Implementation and Roadmap Act.

She said the proposed law would provide a clear sequence for implementing the reforms, identify institutions responsible for specific actions and establish deadlines for completion.

The framework would also cover public consultations, preparation of bills, parliamentary consideration, civic education and referendums where constitutional provisions require one.

206 REFORM PROPOSALS
The Constitution Review Committee, chaired by Professor H. Kwesi Prempeh, submitted its final report on February 10, 2026.

Ms Asumin said the report contained 206 proposals, with 149 seeking amendments to existing constitutional provisions and 59 proposing new constitutional provisions.

She said the committee's work was informed by extensive consultations, including 10 thematic stakeholder engagements, more than 500 expert and practitioner contributions, outreach to over 21,500 people and 785 written submissions.

The objective, she said, was to strengthen Ghana’s constitutional governance and make it more responsive to national development while maintaining the country’s democratic gains.

FIVE-YEAR PRESIDENTIAL TERM
Among the recommendations is a proposal to increase the presidential tenure from four years to five years.

Ms Asumin stressed that the proposal does not create an opportunity for a third presidential term and noted that Government had accepted the five-year presidential tenure proposal.

Other recommendations concern presidential powers and appointments, Parliament, local government, natural resources, public finances, independent constitutional institutions, political parties and elections, the Judiciary, accountability and long-term development planning.

REPORT DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY CHANGE THE CONSTITUTION

Ms Asumin cautioned that the Review Committee’s recommendations should not be mistaken for changes that have already been incorporated into Ghana’s Constitution.

She explained that each proposal must go through the relevant constitutional and legislative procedures.

Provisions classified as entrenched, she said, would require a referendum, while other recommendations would be processed through Parliament and other legally prescribed mechanisms.

Government has meanwhile inaugurated an 11-member Constitution Review Implementation Committee, chaired by Marietta Brew, Presidential Legal Counsel and former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.

The committee is expected to consider the Review Committee’s report together with Government’s position paper and formulate an implementation framework for proposals that Government accepts or intends to pursue.

2028 ELECTIONS RAISE CONTINUITY QUESTIONS

The civil society groups are particularly concerned about the potential duration of the reform process.

Ms Asumin said the proposals reportedly involve more than 50 amendments and over 14 bills, potentially requiring extensive legislative work, consultations and public education.

She said the process could run beyond the 2028 general elections, making continuity a major consideration if there is a change in government.

The proposed roadmap, she said, would therefore help ensure that constitutional reform remains an institutional process rather than one dependent on the tenure of a particular administration.

JOURNALISTS URGED TO LEAD PUBLIC EDUCATION

Ms Asumin also charged the media to help bridge the information gap surrounding the reforms.

She said citizens needed clear explanations of the proposals, their implications and the procedures required for their implementation before they could participate meaningfully in the national conversation.

She called for sustained funding for civic education, especially in communities where access to mainstream and digital media remains limited.

Journalists were also urged to adopt accurate, balanced and issue-based reporting when covering the reform process.

WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN FOCUS
The engagement further examined the representation of women in Ghana’s political and decision-making institutions.

Ms Asumin said the Affirmative Action Law Coalition, together with other women’s rights organisations, was preparing a position paper proposing proportional representation and constitutional entrenchment of gender quotas.

She said the ongoing constitutional review also created an opportunity to examine the participation of women, young people and persons with disabilities in national governance.

The two-day programme, which concludes today, is being facilitated by Gifty Nti Konadu of CDD-Ghana/CPCR, Christopher Dapaah of the Local Government Network and members of the CPCR Regional Coordinating Team.

The organisers said their objective was to equip journalists with the knowledge required to provide credible information and promote informed, inclusive and constructive public dialogue on Ghana’s constitutional reform process.