Constitutional reform must remain open to wider public input — Prof. Kwasi Prempeh
Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, has cautioned against allowing the implementation of proposed constitutional reforms to become a government-led process without further input from other stakeholders.
He said government’s position on the recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee should not be treated as the only basis for drafting the proposed amendments, arguing that political parties, organised labour, civil society and other groups must have an opportunity to contribute before decisions are finalised.
Prof. Prempeh made the call on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at a stakeholder dialogue on constitutional reform in Accra organised by the Citizens Platform on Constitutional Reform.
He said the nature of constitutional reform makes broad participation particularly important because the Constitution establishes the rules governing how political power is acquired, exercised, checked and transferred.
“No team should be allowed to write the rules of the game alone while playing in it,” Prof. Prempeh said.
He argued that those currently in government have an inherent interest in reforms that affect executive powers, Parliament, local government and public appointments, making it important for the process of determining those rules to remain open.
Prempeh Calls For Draft Bills To Be Published
Prof. Prempeh urged government to publish draft constitutional amendment bills before they are finalised and allow citizens and stakeholders to scrutinise and make inputs on them.
He also called on the implementation committee to consider views beyond the government’s position paper.
Where government accepts or rejects recommendations from the review process, he said, it should explain the reasons for its decisions.
According to him, transparency around those decisions could help build greater acceptance among stakeholders, including those who may disagree with the eventual outcome.
His comments come amid ongoing discussions over how the recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee should be translated into actual constitutional amendments.
The Citizens Platform on Constitutional Reform has previously called for a legally backed implementation framework setting out responsibilities, timelines and requirements for public consultation.
Call For Consultative Assembly
Member of Parliament for Gushegu, Alhassan Tampuli Sulemana, called for an even broader approach, proposing a constituent or consultative assembly as part of the process.
He argued that the scale of the proposed reforms requires wider national participation rather than leaving the next stage to a relatively small implementation committee.
According to Tampuli, more than two-thirds of the provisions of the 1992 Constitution could potentially be affected by the proposed reforms.
He questioned the transition from the Constitution Review Committee’s report to government’s position paper and then towards implementation without another broad consultation with citizens.
Tampuli also cautioned against turning the reform exercise into a contest between the governing National Democratic Congress and the opposition New Patriotic Party.
He said constitutional rules should serve the country regardless of which political party is in power.
He further opposed a proposal to extend the presidential term from four years to five years, arguing that the existing four-year term should be maintained.
Chambas Wants Clear Roadmap
African Union High Representative for Silencing the Guns, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, also called for broad national consensus on the reforms.
He said the exercise should not be treated as the project of one government or political party and urged the government to establish a clear, legally backed roadmap for the process.
The roadmap, he said, should identify what needs to be done, who is responsible for each stage and the timelines for completing the various steps.
Dr Chambas also called for referendum questions to be clear and manageable, particularly because more than 20 of the proposed changes concern entrenched provisions that require approval through a referendum.
He stressed the importance of starting civic education well ahead of any referendum and ensuring that adequate funding is made available for citizens across the country to understand the proposed changes.
Reform Debate Enters Implementation Stage
The three speakers were addressing the stakeholder dialogue held under the theme “Building Consensus on Constitutional Reform in Ghana.”
The meeting brought together civil society organisations, political actors, labour representatives, professional bodies and other stakeholders to discuss areas of agreement and possible priorities for the next stage of the reform process.
The Constitution Review Committee, chaired by Prof. Prempeh, was established by President John Dramani Mahama to examine Ghana’s 1992 Constitution. Its work included consultations with stakeholders and citizens before recommendations were submitted to government.
The current debate centres on how those recommendations should now be implemented after government issued its position on them.
Among the government’s proposals is an extension of presidential and parliamentary terms from four years to five years, while other aspects of the government’s position have also generated differing views among stakeholders.
For Prof. Prempeh, however, the immediate concern is that the next stage of the process retains the broad participation that characterised the review exercise.
The stakeholder dialogue therefore adds to growing calls for consultation, transparency and a clearly defined process as Ghana moves from constitutional review to the implementation of proposed reforms.