By Jibril Abdul Mumuni, GNA
Accra, Sept. 17, GNA – The Citizens’ Platform on Constitutional Reforms (CPCR) has called for a legally backed implementation roadmap and a clear mandate for the Constitution Review Implementation Committee.
The advocacy group warned that the reform process could suffer the fate of previous failed efforts if adequate safeguards were not put in place.
At a stakeholder engagement on constitutional reforms organised by the CPCR, Professor Akosua Darkwah, on behalf of the group, said establishing an implementation committee alone would not guarantee the successful execution of proposed constitutional amendments.
She said the Government should introduce and secure the passage of a Constitution Reform Implementation and Roadmap Act.
The Act, she said, could provide legal backing for the reform process, spell out responsibilities, and set timelines for implementation.
Prof. Darkwah said past experiences underscored the need for a legally binding framework to ensure continuity and accountability throughout the reform exercise.
The concerns and the appeal follow the establishment of the Implementation Committee for Ghana’s Constitution Review on the back of government’s position on some key amendments.
The Implementation Committee is headed by Madam Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, former Attorney-General and Presidential Legal Counsel.
The Implementation Committee mandates include a review of government’s white paper on key amendments to the constitution alongside the Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh Committees report.
Prof. Darkwah recalled that an implementation committee, established in 2012 to advance recommendations from the Constitution Review Committee failed to achieve the intended outcomes when proposed amendments were not pursued.
She cited the 2019 Local Governance Reforms, which stalled despite preparations for a referendum due to a lack of political consensus.
“We must learn from those lessons and act differently this time,” she said.
Prof. Darkwah warned that without clear rules, firm timelines and broad national agreement, the current reform agenda risked losing momentum and ultimately failing.
She noted that more than 50 constitutional amendments and over 14 bills were expected to emerge from the process, making it unlikely that implementation could be completed within a single parliamentary term.
She, therefore, emphasised the importance of a roadmap that would keep the programme on track across election cycles and changes in government.
“Without a legally binding timetable, there is a risk that the process could be called off or that the work of the Implementation Committee would not be carried forward,” the group said.
Beyond calls for a roadmap law, she also urged authorities to clearly define the mandate of the Implementation Committee.
Prof. Darkwah said that the committee should not be restricted to merely translating the Government’s Position Paper into amendment bills.
“Instead, it said the committee should be empowered to facilitate consensus-building and recommend modifications where national interest demands,” she said.
She further cautioned against taking policy decisions on reform-related legislation before the committee completes its consultations and submits its recommendations.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Jibril Abdul Mumuni