By Prince Ahenkorah
Ghana, a peaceful democratic state, which believes in democratic governance, is at the crossroads of what would be described as a new Republic without a military takeover.
Ghana, which is now enjoying a fourth republican constitution, is on the verge of moving to a new Republic.
We understand that in Ghana, every republican constitution, is drafted after there has been an overthrow of government by those in military uniforms.
The first republican constitution came about after independence, under the leadership of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, in 1960.
In 1966, there was a military takeover, which led to the suspension of the first republican constitution.
After the military ruled for some time, they gave room for a democratic dispensation, where citizens, could exercise their franchise and choose their leaders.
This paved the way for the second republican constitution of Ghana, which came into force in 1969.
It was realized that the second republican constitution, tried to fill the loopholes in the first republican constitution.
Fast forward, the second republican constitution was also suspended due to a military takeover, and after some time of military rule, negotiations were made for the country to return to its democratic governance.
With that, the third republican constitution came into effect in 1979. The third republican constitution, also tried to fill the gaps of previous constitutions, address the dynamics of the time, and set a standard that would affect everyone equally.
Interestingly, the third republican constitution had a short life, as there was a military takeover again.
It is crucial to note that after a military takeover, and the country decides to venture into democracy, the previous constitution, which was overthrown, is reviewed to identify the lapses and fill those loopholes.
In 1992, a new republican constitution was drafted, and up to now, that constitution, dubbed the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, is being used to govern the country for over thirty years since its inception.
Some people have described the 1992 constitution as one that was made purposely for the late Jerry John Rawlings, who transitioned his military takeover to democratic and constitutional governance, thereby giving a lot of power to the President.
The fourth republican constitution has received a lot of backlashes from different people across diverse spectrums.
In response to those criticisms, a lot of reviews has been done, including but not limited to the era of the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills, as President of the Republic of Ghana, where he established a constitutional review commission to investigate the 1992 constitution, identify the loopholes, and make recommendations. The commission did its work, propounded recommendations, but they were left to sit in books.
In 2023, the former president of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, also set up the Constitutional Review Consultative Committee to review the work of the commission that was set up in 2010 by the late John Evans Mills, investigate the constitution, and present a report for consideration. The committee did its work and presented the report to the former president.
One thing that is realized among Ghanaians is that they can identify a practicable solution to every situation but lacks the approach to deal with it.
To practically review the 1992 constitution to suit the current dynamics of the country, President John Dramani Mahama, in the run-up to the 2024 elections, made a campaign promise to review the constitution when he assumed office as president. Fortunately, Ghanaians understood him and voted massively for him to undertake the constitutional review he promised.
The president, who has vowed not to renege on his promise, has set up a committee of experts to review the constitution, the works done by previous committees, and other relevant matters.
President John Dramani Mahama,speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of members of the constitutional review committee, on Thursday, January 30, 2025, at the Jubilee House in Accra, he assured the committee members that their efforts would not be in vain.
“Your work will not be in vain, this will not be an exercise in futility…this exercise is not about any political party, it is about Ghana,” President Mahama stated.
The Presidents assurance gives hope that report of the committee would be prioritise, as the committee is not just going review, report and propose amendments, but their work is going to shape the future of the country.
The committee, which has six months to complete its work, is chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, the Executive Director of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana).
It includes a distinguished group of legal scholars, political scientists, and civil society leaders, all recognised for their expertise and commitment to good governance.
The committee’s mandate is to identify gaps in previous constitutional review efforts, engage with stakeholders to gather diverse perspectives, and propose actionable recommendations to strengthen Ghana’s democratic institutions and processes.
Ghanaians believes in the works of the president as a new national poll conducted by Global InfoAnalytics, has revealed that 84% of Ghanaians approve of President John Dramani Mahama’s performance, just a month into his tenure.
This gives some hope of venturing into a new era of administration, where the constitution must belong to all.