CSOs Coalition Calls For Entrenchment Of Environmental Rights In Ghana’s Constitution

Ghana’s ongoing constitutional reform could fundamentally change how the country protects its land, water and natural resources, with civil society groups pushing for environmental rights to be entrenched in the supreme law of the land.

The proposal seeks to give every Ghanaian a constitutional right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment while guaranteeing communities affected by natural-resource projects a meaningful say in decisions that could alter their land, livelihoods and surroundings.

The Citizens’ Platform on Constitutional Reform (CPCR), a coalition of civil society organisations, at a stakeholders’ workshop in Sunyani to sensitize the citizens on the constitutional review committee’s recommendations and their implications on governance and democratic development in Ghana, says environmental protection should not be left entirely to ordinary legislation.

It wants the Constitution to expressly recognise environmental rights and establish principles for the responsible management of natural resources.

The coalition is also demanding constitutional protection for the right of affected communities to meaningful participation in natural-resource decisions, including free, prior and informed consent. Such a provision could give communities a stronger voice before decisions are taken on activities capable of significantly affecting their environment and livelihoods.

For communities dependent on land and natural resources, the proposal could make environmental protection a more direct constitutional issue. Questions surrounding access to land, water and other resources would potentially have to be considered alongside the rights and participation of people living in affected areas.

The environmental rights proposal forms part of 16 areas in which the CPCR wants the Government to reconsider its position on recommendations arising from the review of the 1992 Constitution. The coalition says some of the Government’s proposed approaches do not sufficiently address the underlying problems that prompted calls for constitutional reform.

The demand is also linked to a broader push for stronger citizen participation in governance. The coalition wants the Constitution to recognise a right to meaningful public participation in law-making and argues that citizens should have genuine opportunities to influence decisions that affect their lives.

The proposal comes as Ghana prepares to implement an extensive package of constitutional reforms, with more than 50 provisions affected by the recommendations under consideration. More than 20 of the provisions touch entrenched clauses requiring approval through a referendum.

The CPCR is consequently urging that environmental protections be secured at the constitutional level rather than left solely to ordinary legislation. It says the broader reform process must be shaped through genuine national dialogue involving Government, Parliament, political parties, organised labour, civil society and citizens, with the final outcome reflecting the considered will of Ghanaians.

By Edmond Gyebi

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