The Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) has called for the establishment of a permanent constitutional reform body to ensure the effective and continuous implementation of constitutional reforms in the country.
It says the country’s constitutional reform efforts have repeatedly stalled due to the absence of a dedicated, non-partisan institution to oversee and sustain the process.
The call was made by a Senior Research Fellow at IDEG, Kwesi Jonah, at a high-level policy dialogue on legal and institutional safeguards for effective constitutional amendments, held in Accra last Tuesday.Mr Jonah said that since the establishment of the Constitution Review Commission in 2010 and the submission of its report in
2011, successive governments had initiated reform processes but failed to complete them.
“We have made so many efforts in the past to get a constitutional reform process on the line… one and a half decades later, we are still in the process of amending the Constitution,” he said.
He explained that the cycle of incomplete reforms could be addressed through the creation of a constitutionally mandated body, which would take charge of the reform process irrespective of changes in government.
Permanent body
Mr Jonah said the establishment of a Multi-Party Democracy and Constitutional Review Commission would serve as a permanent institution responsible for driving constitutional reforms and regulating aspects of the country’s democratic governance.
“Perhaps if we had a constitutional body, a permanent constitutional body that would take charge of the process of constitutional reform, the process would be much more efficient and effective,” he said.
He added that such a body would ensure continuity in reform efforts and prevent situations where new administrations abandon ongoing processes initiated by their predecessors.
Mr Jonah also said the proposed commission would help build consensus across political divides, noting that constitutional reforms required broad national agreement rather than partisan decision-making.
Implementation challenges
A former Dean of the University of Ghana School of Law, Prof. Kofi Quashigah, expressed concern about the complexity and timelines involved in implementing constitutional reforms, particularly those relating to entrenched provisions.
He explained that many of the proposed amendments would require referenda and extensive parliamentary procedures, which could delay implementation beyond the tenure of the current administration.
Prof. Quashigah said without a structured and sustained mechanism, reform efforts risked being abandoned once political priorities shifted.
“I don’t sincerely think we can rush through all these processes to achieve that result before the end of the current administration,” he said.
He further added that there was a need for institutional arrangements that would ensure continuity and prevent reform processes from being disrupted by electoral cycles.
Gender inclusion
The Coordinator of the Affirmative Action Law Coalition, Becky Enyonam Ahadzi, also called for constitutional provisions to address gender imbalance in political representation.
She said that although women constituted more than half of the population, their representation in Parliament remained low due to structural and systemic barriers.
“There is a systemic and systematic exclusion of women when it comes to governance,” she said, adding that constitutional reforms must include gender-specific provisions to ensure equitable participation.
Ms Ahadzi further advocated the introduction of constitutional quotas and reforms to the electoral system to enhance women’s representation, particularly in elected positions.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh