Prof. Henry Kwesi Prempeh, Executive Director of CDD-Ghana and Chairman of President Mahama’s Constitution Review Committee has called for a fundamental rethink of Ghana’s governance structure.
According to him, while Ghana has successfully managed democratic transitions and term limits, the real challenge lies in the way power is exercised once in office.
Speaking on the need for constitutional reforms, he noted that Ghana has established clear processes for assuming and leaving political office.
“…where I think we still are missing something is what I call the rules of play, how we actually govern once you have power? And I think that is where we have a problem.”
Prof. Henry Kwesi Prempeh
Accordingly, he argued that any serious attempt to change governance outcomes must consider constitutional adjustments.
Prof. Prempeh emphasized that this period presents a rare chance for reform. “…we have the opportunity [as] a generation to do something about this, to change course.”
He further observed that despite multiple elections and leadership changes, governance outcomes have remained largely the same.
This, he said, has led to disillusionment with democracy, though the problem may not be with democracy itself but rather with how power is used. “For what purposes we’re using power [and] how we are structuring power.”
Prof. Prempeh also revealed that the Constitution Review Committee recently engaged President Mahama, who assured them that their recommendations would not be shelved.
“At the meeting, we gave him an update on what it is that we’ve been doing since we were inaugurated, [and] also explained to him that the meeting was also a stakeholder engagement, so we wanted to hear from him also as to what it is that he was expecting from this process.”
Prof. Henry Kwesi Prempeh
He reaffirmed Mahama’s commitment to the initiative, emphasizing that the President assured the committee that this would not be another proposal left unimplemented.
He disclosed that President Mahama pledged to take concrete steps toward its execution.
According to him, the President made it clear that the process would not be shelved or forgotten but would be actively pursued to achieve meaningful results.
Overcoming Institutional Barriers
While the president’s backing is crucial, Prof. Kwesi Prempeh emphasized that constitutional reforms demand broad consensus.
He noted that the president alone cannot drive the process, as he is just one of the key decision-makers.
Even with presidential approval, the reforms must go through parliament, as constitutional amendments are ultimately a legislative process.
He further explained that the approach to reform depends on the nature of the provisions being amended.
For non-entrenched clauses, parliamentary approval is required, while changes to entrenched provisions must be subjected to a national referendum.
Accordingly, he called for sustained public engagement to ensure that political leaders act in the national interest.
“As long as Ghanaians are involved in this process, take a keen interest in it, follow it along the way, and stay engaged, I believe that there will be a political response to it.”
Prof. Henry Kwesi Prempeh
Addressing the extensive powers of the presidency, Prof. Prempeh argued that excessive power is not only burdensome but also harmful to governance.
“The campaign for reset won, and by a huge majority, and I think that the President has the mandate and therefore the responsibility to make good on that pledge.”
Prof. Henry Kwesi Prempeh
He drew parallels to President Akufo-Addo’s 2019 proposal to amend the constitution to allow for the election of MMDCEs, noting that “some of this power actually is burdensome. We should not also forget that there’s a flip side to this.”
He pointed out that presidents are often overwhelmed by excessive control over governance decisions, stating, “Why must you be appointing all the MMDCEs in this town with all the politics involved, and partisanship, how many CVs can you review?”
He suggested that decentralizing power would not only improve governance but also reduce pressure on the presidency.
“Sometimes actually tying the president’s hand is actually good for governance. It sanitizes the politics. It lowers the pressure on the president because then you [the president] can refer to the document as a constraint…too much power cannot be good.”
Prof. Henry Kwesi Prempeh
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