Today, January 7, 2023 has been declared to be Ghana’s constitution day and as such, Ghanaians across the nation join in celebrating the institution of the 1992 Constitution, the supreme law of the land.
This year’s celebration marks 30years of the inception of the 1992 constitution, thus its 30th Anniversary celebration. It also marks the 4th since the holiday was instituted.
Since Ghana gained independence in 1957, the 1992 Constitution is the only one that has stood the test of time.
Ghanaians strongly desired to live in a free and democratic society, giving way for the 1992 constitution as a tool to provide guidance on their rights and governing policies.
Prior to this, Ghana had experienced several coups in the 1960s and 1970s before Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings overthrew Hilla Limann in 1981, ushering in Ghana’s Fourth Republic but since the implementation of the 1992 Constitution, there have been no reported attempts at a coup in Ghana.
In order to celebrate Ghana’s progress towards democracy, “Constitution Day” was established as an annual holiday on January 7th. This day was instituted by the 5th President of the Fourth Republic, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and was first observed in 2019.
Prof Henry Kwasi Prempeh in highlighting the contributions of the 1992 constitution stated that Article 66 (2) of the 1992 constitution is the reason Ghana has not slipped back into a dictatorship, thus making Ghana stand as a beacon of democracy within the African continent.
“If there is one provision of the 1992 Constitution that has stood between us and a return to dictatorship in this 4th Republic, it is Article 66 (2). Happy Constitution Day.”
Prof Prempeh
Meanwhile, some individuals have called for a review of the 1992 Constitution, arguing that it is no longer suitable for its intended purpose.
A Constitution Review Commission was appointed in succession to the concerns raised, to gather input and make recommendations for a review of the 1992 Constitution. However, the report produced by this commission has not yet been implemented, even though the commission has completed its work.
President Akuffo-Addo’s Constitution Day Address To Ghanaians
On Friday, January 6, 2023, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo addressed the nation to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Constitution, urging Ghanaians not to take their democracy for granted.
“We’ve come a long way, and we should not take it for granted that everybody in Ghana has accepted democracy as the preferred mode of governance.
“There are those that would rather have authoritarian rule because they claim our country is underdeveloped and democracy is cumbersome and that we need to get things done in a hurry.”
Nana Akufo-Addo
The President underscored the importance of citizens encouraging the Electoral Commission (EC) to work diligently to ensure that all parties involved in the electoral process have no concerns after elections.
“I acknowledge that the strength of any democracy is very much determined by the credibility of its electoral process and respect for the will of the people, and we cannot overlook the fact that instability followed disputed elections in many parts of the [African] continent and that is why we must all continue to urge the Electoral Commission to work to ensure all stakeholders in the electoral process do not have lingering questions about the legitimacy of an election.”
Nana Akufo-Addo
The Ministry of Interior in Ghana has therefore, in commemoration of the celebration declared Monday, January 09, 2023, as a public holiday.
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