By Angela Adu-Asomaing
The Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee and Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development, Kwasi Prempeh, has called for stronger oversight of state-owned enterprises as part of ongoing constitutional reforms.
Prof Prempeh highlighted key recommendations of the committee during a lecture at Wisconsin International University College in Accra.
Speaking on “Review of Ghana’s Constitution: Findings and the Way Forward,” he said the committee had proposed reforms to address governance challenges and strengthen the political system.
He added that the recommendations are also aimed at improving accountability and governance in state-owned enterprises.
“So we are proposing major reforms in public sector governance, particularly in how we select the people who serve as CEOs and managers of these state resources, and how they are removed, so that we do not go through these recurring cycles,” he noted.
The committee also recommended reforms in natural resource management, saying oversight should not rest solely with the president but rather with accountable state institutions to ensure transparency and responsible management.
“We are making important proposals regarding how our natural resources are governed, including public lands. Currently, there is the idea that all public resources are vested in the president as trustee on behalf of the people of Ghana. The meaning of that was tested in the High Court once, and the court ruled that it cannot enforce that against the president,” he emphasised.
Prof Prempeh said the committee has also proposed that local communities be involved in approving mining concessions and benefit from resources extracted from their areas.
“There is a proposal that local communities must be brought into the process of approving concessions. The current situation is that a mining company may receive a concession and only visit the community as a courtesy. The people have little power in the decision-making process. The proposal is to formally include local communities in the approval process,” he stated.
To strengthen the fight against corruption, the committee further recommended merging the Office of the Special Prosecutor with the anti-corruption functions of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice to create a stronger, constitutionally empowered anti-corruption body.
“We have some interesting proposals on corruption. For example, we are proposing that we merge the Office of the Special Prosecutor with the anti-corruption mandate of CHRAJ to create a single body. This body will be given prosecutorial powers within the constitution so it can handle prosecutions involving politically exposed persons in corruption cases,” he added.
More Stories Here
Source:
www.gbcghanaonline.com