CDD-Ghana urges government to publish draft constitutional reform bills for public input
The Executive Director of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Prof. H. Kwasi Prempeh, has urged government to publish draft bills arising from the proposed constitutional reforms before they are finalised.
He said making the draft legislation available for public scrutiny would allow citizens, political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to examine the proposals and contribute meaningfully to the reform 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.
Prof. Prempeh stressed that constitutional reform should go beyond drafting and passing legislation, arguing that the implementation process must provide adequate space for consultation and consensus-building.
He noted that constitutional changes could have long-term implications for Ghana’s democratic and governance institutions and, therefore, should not be rushed.
He cautioned government against moving too quickly with the reforms, saying inadequate stakeholder involvement could create challenges during implementation.
“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 said.
He added that building consensus early was more effective and less costly than attempting to resolve disagreements later in the process.
The CDD-Ghana Executive Director further called for political parties, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders to be given meaningful opportunities to scrutinise the proposed reforms before the bills are finalised.
He said such an approach would help identify areas of disagreement early and provide an opportunity to address them before significant resources were committed to implementation.
His comments come as Ghana moves towards implementing proposed constitutional reforms following years of discussions on changes to the country’s constitutional and governance framework.
Prof. Prempeh’s call places emphasis on transparency, public participation and broad stakeholder consensus as government proceeds with the implementation of the proposed reforms.
By Esther Padmore Amonoo
