By Yussif Ibrahim, GNA
Kumasi, March 7, GNA – Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the media, have been urged to actively support Ghana’s ongoing constitutional reform process through public education, advocacy and citizen mobilisation.
Ms Vera Abena Addo, the Programmes Officer at the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), made the call during a capacity-building workshop for civil society groups and media practitioners in Kumasi.
The workshop was organised by the Citizens Platform on Constitutional Reforms with support from CDD-Ghana, the STAR Ghana Foundation, and Democracy Hub.
In an interview on the sidelines of the event, Ms Addo cited the critical roles that civil society, and the media must play in ensuring a successful constitutional review process.
She noted that Ghana was undertaking the exercise for the third time, making it necessary for stakeholders to actively engage citizens and build broad public support.
“We are in Kumasi today because we recognise that civil society and the media play a very important role in the constitutional review process. This is the third time Ghana as a country is attempting to review its Constitution, so we believe it is important that CSOs and the media support the process,” she said.
She said although the constitutional review committee had already submitted its report to the President, the reform process remains largely political and therefore requires the active involvement of civil society to ensure transparency and public participation.
Ms Addo explained that some of the recommendations contained in the committee’s report reflected long-standing demands by civil society groups, particularly in areas such as local governance reforms, human rights protection and the strengthening of the separation of powers.
Again, some of the proposed constitutional amendments were entrenching provisions that would required a national referendum, making citizen mobilisation and public education essential, she said.
“We know that some of the provisions are entrenched, and others are not. If we must go for a referendum, there is a need for all of us to support public education and help mobilise citizens,” she stated.
She explained that the workshop formed part of a strategy to build the capacity of CSOs and media practitioners to understand the constitutional review process and effectively engage the public on proposed reforms.
Beyond the Kumasi engagement, similar programmes are expected to be organised in other parts of the country, including Takoradi, Tamale, and Accra.
Ms Addo, the initiative will adopt a “training of trainers” approach, where participants were expected to transfer the knowledge gained to wider audiences, through community engagements and public education campaigns.
She said civil society organisations would use traditional and social media platforms, as well as outreach programmes in schools and tertiary institutions, to help raise awareness about the importance of constitutional reforms.
“What we want to do is to identify key priority areas that CSOs and the media are interested in and support public education. We want the public to be interested because the Constitution affects all of us,” she explained.
She added that organisations such as CDD-Ghana, the STAR Ghana Foundation, and the Democracy Hub were coordinating efforts to bring more civil society actors on board, to ensure that the reform process does not remain solely in the hands of politicians.
“We do not want to leave the process for politicians alone. Citizens must also understand that constitutional reforms are important for Ghana’s democratic development,” she said.
The workshop aimed to enhance participants’ understanding of the constitutional review process, equip CSOs with practical advocacy and engagement skills, and promote collaboration among civil society actors to ensure coordinated action toward meaningful constitutional reforms in Ghana.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo