CPCR, CDD-Ghana engage journalists on Constitutional Reforms

The Citizens’ Platform on Constitutional Reforms (CPCR) in collaboration with Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and Star Ghana Foundation has held a two-day media engagement in Kumasi on Ghana’s ongoing constitutional reform process.

Facilitators were Gifty Nti Konadu, CDD-Ghana/CPCR representative and Christopher Dapaah, Local Government Network and member of the CPCR Ashanti Regional Coordinating Team.

The engagement, which was funded by the British High Commission, drew participants from Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Western North and Central Regions.

It also examined emerging and contentious issues, areas of convergence and divergence among stakeholders, and their broader implications for Ghana’s democratic governance and constitutional development.

Ms Victoria Asumin, Member, Ashanti Regional Coordinating Committee of Amnesty International Ghana indicated that the reform process had entered a critical implementation stage following the submission of the Constitution Review Committee’s report, stressing the need for clear timelines and institutional responsibilities to ensure effective implementation of the recommendations.

According to Ms. Asumin, CPCR together with CDD-Ghana, STAR-Ghana Foundation and Democracy Hub, and local governance networks, is advocating the passage of a Constitutional Reform Implementation and Roadmap Act, explaining that “the proposed legislation” would spell out the reforms to be undertaken, the institutions responsible for each stage and deadlines for completing the various processes

She said CPCR is providing timelines for public consultations, preparation of legislation, parliamentary consideration, civic education and referendums; where required.

Ms. Asumin disclosed that out of the 206 proposals submitted by Constitutional Reforms Committee on February 10, 2026, 149 seek amendments to existing constitutional provisions, while 59 propose entirely new provisions, noting that the committee conducted ten thematic stakeholder engagements, received more than 500 expert and practitioner inputs, reached over 21,500 people and received 785 written submissions.

She said the review seeks to make constitutional governance more effective for national development while preserving Ghana’s democratic gains.

Highlighting some of the major recommendations, Ms. Asumin disclosed that the committee has proposed extending the presidential term from four to five years.

She emphasised that the proposal does not provide for a third presidential term and noted that the government has accepted the proposed five-year tenure.

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

She stressed that the recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee have not automatically become law and will require appropriate constitutional and legislative procedures to take effect, indicating that “entrenched provisions” will require a referendum as prescribed by the Constitution, while other provisions will go through relevant parliamentary and legal processes.

Ms. Asumin told the participants that the government had inaugurated an 11-member Constitution Review Implementation Committee chaired by Presidential Legal Counsel and former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong,

The committee, she indicated, is expected to examine the Constitution Review Committee’s report alongside the government’s position paper and develop a framework for implementing proposals the government has accepted or intends to pursue.

Ms. Asumin also urged journalists to play a leading role in educating the public on the reforms, noting that citizens cannot meaningfully participate if they do not understand the proposals, their implications and the responsibilities of the institutions involved,

She called for a sustained funding for civic education to enable the constitutional reform conversation to reach communities across the country, particularly those with limited access to traditional and digital media. She further urged the media to adopt accurate, balanced and issue-based reporting in covering the reform process.

Clara Osei Boateng, Governance Advisor, British High Commission Ghana indicated that the constitutional review was not for politicians, but for the citizenry hence politicians should not be the ones to tell citizens what to do, but vice versa, noting that the review must address some of the fundamental challenges facing the country. She urged the media to read the Constitutional Review Committee’s report, to be conversant with it, in order to educate the public on its contents.

From Oswald P. Freiku, Kumasi

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