Betty Mould-Iddrisu faults parliament for decades-long delay of Spousal Property Rights bill

Member of the Council of State and former Attorney-General Madam Betty Mould-Iddrisu has delivered a sharp rebuke to Ghana’s Parliament, condemning its failure to pass key legislation on spousal property rights more than three decades after the 1992 Constitution mandated action.

Speaking as chairperson of the 2025 Marriage Governance Conference, Madam Iddrisu recalled that Article 22 of the Constitution required Parliament to enact legislation regulating the property rights of spouses upon the coming into force of the Constitution, yet 32 years later, no such legislation has been enacted. 

“How do we, as a people, look on unconcerned when ‘as soon as practicable’ turns into 32 years… and counting?” she asked, describing the delay as “an affront to the values of democracy and good governance.”

Madam Mould-Iddrisu was instrumental in the introduction of the Property Rights of Spouses Bill in Parliament in 2010 during her tenure as Attorney-General. 

The bill, designed to regulate the distribution of marital property upon divorce or death, seeks to address longstanding inequalities that leave women vulnerable. 

It also seeks to provide legal recognition for cohabitation following nationwide consultations led by the African Women Lawyers Association. Fifteen years later, the bill remains stalled. 

Madam Mould thus described the neglect as emblematic of Parliament’s broader failure to uphold constitutional obligations and protect families.

Beyond the stalled spousal property legislation, she also pointed to the Intestate Succession Law, arguing that it falls short of ensuring equal rights for spouses, regardless of whether they married under customary, Islamic, or ordinance law. 

She urged Parliament to amend the law to reflect the principles of equality and fairness enshrined in the Constitution, warning that its current form leaves many women—and, in some cases, men—systematically deprived of property rights.

Mrs. Mould-Iddrisu cautioned that the persistent legislative vacuum has left countless spouses—particularly women in customary and Islamic marriages—financially exposed, vulnerable to exploitation, and without adequate legal protection in cases of divorce or death. 

She insisted that Parliament’s refusal to act undermines both justice and Ghana’s constitutional promise of equality.