The Executive Director of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Prof. Henry Kwasi Prempeh, has called on government to publish draft bills arising from the proposed constitutional reforms before they are finalised.
According to him, making the draft legislation available for public scrutiny would give citizens, political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders an opportunity to examine the proposed changes and contribute to the process.
Prof. Prempeh made the call at a stakeholder dialogue on the Constitutional Reform Implementation Process, organised by the Citizens Platform on Constitutional Reform with support from the British High Commission.
Build consensus before implementation
Prof. Prempeh stressed that constitutional reform should not be treated simply as a process of drafting and passing legislation.
He argued that the implementation phase must create sufficient room for consultation and consensus-building, particularly because constitutional changes can have long-term implications for Ghana’s democratic and governance institutions.
He therefore urged government to resist the temptation to move too quickly, warning that reforms could face difficulties if stakeholders feel excluded from the process.
“Even a proposal that many might consider worthwhile will fail to reach the finished line. A reform that collapses after so much public expenditure, time and effort is not a saving of time.’
He added:“Consensus built early is far cheaper than consensus that feels late.”
Calls for broader stakeholder participation
The CDD-Ghana Executive Director said political parties, civil society groups and other relevant stakeholders should be given meaningful opportunities to scrutinise the proposed reforms before the bills are finalised.
The approach, he suggested, would allow areas of disagreement to be identified and addressed earlier rather than after significant resources have already been committed to the implementation process.
His comments come as Ghana moves into the implementation phase of proposed constitutional reforms, following years of discussions on changes to the country’s constitutional and governance framework.
As government advances with the implementation of the proposed reforms, the call from CDD-Ghana places renewed emphasis on transparency, public participation and broad stakeholder consensus as key elements of the process.
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