National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu NketiahNational Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, is pushing for a major reform in Ghana’s legal and governance architecture, calling for the separation of the Attorney-General’s role from that of the Minister for Justice.
Addressing participants at an Anti-Corruption Summit held in Accra on Thursday, Asiedu Nketiah argued that the current model, where a single individual occupies both positions, undermines efforts to combat corruption and maintain legal independence.
“We were wrong in combining the office of Attorney-General and the Minister of Justice,” he stated. “As Attorney-General, you are supposed to prosecute wrongdoing, but as a Minister of Justice sitting in Cabinet, you are part of a collective that formulates and approves government policies.
“It becomes extremely difficult for that same person to turn around and prosecute fellow Cabinet members.”
According to him, this dual mandate creates a built-in conflict of interest, making it nearly impossible for the Attorney-General to impartially hold other government officials accountable.
He stressed that this overlap in roles not only compromises justice delivery but also erodes public confidence in the legal system.
Asiedu Nketiah urged the Constitutional Review Committee to take a bold step and recommend a complete structural split between the two offices as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen good governance, transparency, and institutional integrity.
The call adds to growing public and civil society advocacy for reforms aimed at insulating the country’s justice system from political interference.
