Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), media representatives, and community leaders converged in Kumasi for the Ashanti Regional launch of the Citizen Platform on Constitutional Reform, a nationwide initiative designed to amplify citizen voices in shaping Ghana’s constitutional future.
The two-day event, graced by coordinators from STAR-Ghana and the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), underscored the urgency of broad-based participation in the ongoing constitutional review process. Concerns over executive dominance, weak separation of powers, limited decentralisation, asset declaration, the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), and gaps in accountability sharpened calls for reform.
The Vice President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Rebecca Ekpe, reminded participants that while the 1992 Constitution remained the bedrock of the Fourth Republic, it must evolve to meet contemporary governance challenges.
“A constitutional review needs its citizens to participate,” she stressed, warning that reforms risk being undermined by partisan interests unless grounded in broad public consensus.
Earlier this year, the Constitutional Review Committee, chaired by Professor H. Kwesi Prempeh of CDD-Ghana, submitted its report to the Presidency. Yet civil society leaders insist reforms cannot succeed without active citizen involvement.
Launched nationally in November 2025, the CSOs/Citizen Platform brings together more than 70 organisations, spanning academia, trade unions, faith-based institutions, and professional bodies. Its Steering Committee, chaired by Professor Akosua K. Darkwah of NETRIGHT, is tasked with ensuring inclusivity and transparency in the reform process.
Ms Ekpe mentioned that constitutional reform must not remain an Accra-centred conversation. “Communities across Ghana, women, youth, Persons with Disabilities, informal workers, and marginalised groups must be heard. All development is local, and so too must be the process of constitutional renewal,” she affirmed.
Programmes Officer at CDD-Ghana, Vera Abena Doh, acknowledged the complexity of reform, which demands patience, consensus, and trust. She pledged coordinated action with parliament, the judiciary, traditional authorities, civil society organisations, and the media.
According to her, President John Dramani Mahama was determined to see the review through as a defining legacy, but she urged citizens not to leave the process to the political class alone. “If there is time for referendum, let us all come out in numbers and support the process,” she appealed.
The Platform aims to serve as a space for thoughtful debate, rigorous analysis, and constructive engagement guided by inclusion, accountability, transparency, and national unity.
FROM KINGSLEY E. HOPE, KUMASI
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