Harmonising CRC 2025 Recommendations: Defining Ghana’s Democracy in Alignment with Culture, Tradition, and Development- Jacob Osei Yeboah writes
In January 2025, President John Dramani Mahama, acting in accordance with his constitutional mandate and national duty, inaugurated the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC 2025) to undertake a comprehensive review of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution. The Committee’s final report, titled “Transforming Ghana: From Electoral Democracy to Developmental Democracy,” represents a serious national effort and deserves commendation for its scope and ambition.
However, within the broader context of the RESET Agenda and the accountability-driven mandate expressed by Ghanaians in the 2024 general elections, the CRC 2025 report raises several substantive concerns. While the stated objective of the review was to clarify governance, expand liberties, and strengthen democratic development for future generations, internal contradictions and conceptual ambiguities within the report risk weakening its impact and public acceptance.
For Ghana’s constitutional reform to succeed, coherence, cultural alignment, and a clear developmental orientation must guide the process.
Government Continuity and National Development
National development must be approached as a continuum rather than a partisan cycle. Successive governments should not abandon projects initiated by their predecessors. Instead, continuity should be enforced through supervision, accountability, and guaranteed funding mechanisms.
Institutions such as the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) must be constitutionally empowered to ensure that governments complete initiated projects. Major national undertakings such as the Agenda 111 hospital projects and the Accra–Kumasi Expressway highlight the urgency of embedding continuity into Ghana’s governance framework to support long-term development.
State–Government Distinction: A Foundational Gap
One of the most persistent weaknesses of the 1992 Constitution is the absence of a clear distinction between the State and the Government. While the CRC 2025 report acknowledges governance challenges, it does not adequately resolve this foundational issue.
Although the report strengthens the NDPC, other recommendations continue to concentrate power within the political executive. This undermines institutional independence and weakens accountability. A clearer constitutional separation is required, including the creation of a distinct Minister of Justice role, separate from the Attorney-General.
Under such a framework, the Attorney-General would focus on advising and representing the Government, while the Minister of Justice would oversee criminal prosecution. This separation would reduce perceptions of political witch-hunts and strengthen public confidence in the justice system.
Democracy Versus Multiparty Politics
Ghana’s commitment to democracy is rooted in its historical experience with military rule and authoritarian governance. While the 1992 Constitution has delivered political stability and peaceful transitions of power, electoral alternation alone does not equate to democracy.
The persistent framing of Ghana’s system as a “multiparty democracy” introduces conceptual tension. Democracy is a governance philosophy, while multiparty competition is merely a political mechanism. The CRC 2025 report does not sufficiently reconcile this distinction, despite referencing alternative governance models pursued under leaders such as Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and General I.K. Acheampong, which emphasised developmental outcomes over electoral dominance.
The RESET Agenda demands clarity on whether Ghana prioritises democratic development or electoral competition as its primary objective.
Citizenship Rights and Social Balance
Citizenship rights must be upheld by the State above ethnicity, religion, tradition, and family structures, while remaining anchored in constitutional limits and social order. However, the CRC 2025 report demonstrates inconsistencies in how this balance is applied, particularly in Chapter Six.
While the chapter promotes inclusivity under the theme “Leaving No One Behind,” it struggles to reconcile freedom of association with constitutional boundaries. This inconsistency is especially visible in discussions on religious institutions and sexual minority issues, where different sections of the report appear to contradict one another.
Marriage, Sexuality, and Religious Freedom
The report fails to clearly define marriage, sex, and the constitutional limits of religious practice. These omissions are significant. In a society where cultural and religious values remain deeply rooted, ambiguity in such sensitive areas risks public rejection.
This concern is heightened by the passage of the 2024 LGBTQ Bill, which enjoyed overwhelming public support. Constitutional recommendations that appear misaligned with prevailing social values must be clearly justified or carefully reframed to maintain national consensus.
Key Chapter-Specific Observations
Presidency and Executive Power
The proposal to extend the presidential term from four to five years lacks sufficient justification, especially given existing long-term planning mechanisms. While the minimum presidential age of 30 years is welcomed, inconsistencies arise when higher qualification thresholds are imposed on local executives than on the Presidency itself. Additionally, no public office holder should earn more than the President, considering the scope of presidential responsibility.
Parliament and Representation
A people-centered democracy requires a leaner and more representative Parliament. Capping Parliament at 200 members, introducing proportional representation for key social groups, and promoting nonpartisan parliamentary elections would enhance accountability and constituency-focused governance. Parliamentary gratuity should be paid only once, upon final exit from office.
Natural Resources and Development
While the State is rightly positioned as trustee of natural resources, the Constitution must clearly define what constitutes the State. Ghana’s carried interest in natural resources should be constitutionally anchored to prevent discretionary management, and annual disclosures of State equity in SOEs and joint ventures should be mandatory.
Institutions of Accountability
The Council of State should be strengthened as a permanent embodiment of State authority, empowered to appoint independent bodies and oversee accountability. Prosecutorial powers should be decentralised to protect the justice system from political influence.
Local Governance and Development
Development must be driven locally. Economic activity—not population alone—should guide district and constituency creation. The nonpartisan election of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) is strongly endorsed, alongside harmonised qualification criteria across executive levels.
The CRC 2025 report is a valuable contribution to Ghana’s constitutional reform journey. However, unresolved contradictions, unclear foundational concepts, and inconsistencies across chapters must be addressed to secure public trust and alignment with the RESET Agenda.
Strengthening Ghana’s Fourth Republic requires clarity, coherence, cultural sensitivity, and broad national consensus. Constitutional reform must ultimately serve development, justice, and the collective aspirations of the Ghanaian people.
Source: Thepressradio.com
