The Constitution Review Committee (CRC), tasked with assessing and proposing amendments to Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, has received over 500 on-line and in-person submissions to assist its work.
The committee, made up of legal and governance experts, will focus on identifying key areas of the Constitution that need updating to align with the country’s evolving democratic and socio-economic realities.
In addition, it is to carefully examine past recommendations, identify necessary changes, and create a clear roadmap leading to meaningful constitutional amendments.
Dr Rainer Akumperigya, the Secretary to the CRC, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency, said the stakeholder engagements had, so far, been fruitful.
The committee had received written submissions from groups, including the National Commission for Civic Education, past officers from the Electoral Commission, and Non-Governmental/Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) with a lot of expertise in the natural resources sector, like the Africa Centre for Energy Policy, he said.
From academia, Professors Kwame Gyan, Kofi Quashiga and Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua, all from the University of Ghana, have presented proposals to the Committee.
The Institute of Economic Affairs, which was represented by two notable personalities; former Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Aaron Oquaye, and former Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, also presented written submissions to the group. A lot of engineers and institutions have presented proposals.
Dr Akumperigya said the Committee had already met with President John Dramani Mahama at the Jubilee House to solicit his inputs, considering his wealth of experience, from his days as assemblyman, to Member of Parliament, Vice President, and President of Ghana.
“The Committee will also meet with the other arms of government; the Legislature and Judiciary, to present their proposals, as well as former Presidents and Vice President to make their submissions to support our work,” he said.
The Secretary to the Committee explained that after its inauguration in February, the Committee had proceeded to set out the modalities of undertaking its mandate in terms of strategy, engagement, timelines, planning and resources.
During the first week of discussions the committee decided on two major forms of engagements; the stakeholder and the validation engagements.
He clarified that even before the Committee was formed the President had earlier announced the holding of a National Constitutional Validation Conference.
In order not to duplicate the functions of the committee, and the outcome of the validation conference, which will be materially useful to the committee, it had decided to merge the national validation conference with its zonal engagements, which the President accepted.
Eight zones were, therefore, created out of the 16 regions, with Tamale and Bolga in one zone, Wa, Sunyani, Kumasi, Takoradi, Cape Coast and Koforidua as different zones, whiles Accra will serve as the hub for stakeholder engagements.
The zonal engagements were open to the public; traditional authorities, heads of educational institutions, students’ unions, women’s groups, and disability groups among others.
Mr Akumperigya said the Committee delineated the Constitution into 10 identifiable thematic subject matter areas, which included the Lands and Natural Resource Governance, Decentralisation, Local Government and Chieftancy, and Public Services and Enterprises.
Other areas to be considered are the independent constitutional bodies or offices such as the Electoral Commission, National Media Commission, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, the National Commission for Civic Education, the Auditor General, and Audit Service.
A discussion would also be held on three arms of government, the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary. The last will be the Finance, the Central Bank, the use of discretionary power, and dual citizenship amendment.
Dr Akumperigya explained that the Constitution provided for the mode of amending the entrenched clauses and the non-entrenched ones.
He said: “For the non-entrenched clauses the provisions can be amended by Parliament based on the numbers and with the NDC’s majority in Parliament, that can easily be done.”
For the entrenched ones, part of the mandate of the committee was to provide some timelines, plan, and a roadmap as to how government could implement the recommendations.
He noted that the report would go beyond some of the existing ones such as the Prof Albert K. Fiadjoe Constitution Review Committee Report and take into account current major developments.
GNA
