Key reforms proposed by the Constitution Review Committee

Ghana’s Constitution Review Committee (CRC) has proposed sweeping changes to the country’s governance architecture, including extending the presidential term from four to five years and ending the long-criticised hybrid system that allows ministers to double as Members of Parliament.

The recommendations were outlined by the Committee’s Chair, Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, when he presented key highlights of the final report to President John Dramani Mahama at the Jubilee House on Monday, 22 December.

Prof Prempeh said the Committee had concluded that a four-year presidential term does not give governments sufficient time to implement their policy agenda effectively. A five-year term, he argued, would offer greater stability and room for delivery without altering the two-term limit.

He dismissed suggestions that the Committee was attempting to smuggle in a third term for presidents, insisting that “no such provision exists in the Constitution and none is being proposed.”

A central recommendation targets the existing hybrid system in which members of the Executive are drawn from Parliament. The Committee believes this fusion undermines oversight and blurs accountability lines.

According to Prof Prempeh, moving to a clearer separation of powers by barring MPs from serving as ministers would strengthen Parliament’s ability to scrutinise the Executive and improve overall governance.

Reforms to the Council of State form another major plank of the proposals. The CRC is urging a reconfiguration of the advisory body to more closely reflect the design originally set out under the 1969 Constitution.

The report also calls for changes in local governance, especially in light of ongoing debates about electing Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

Prof Prempeh said the Committee wants traditional authorities to play a more explicit role in local administration if MMDCEs are to be elected.

“If we’re going to be electing MMDCEs, we should also revisit the legitimacy chiefs hold at the local level,” he noted. “We are proposing to bring them more directly into the local government structure at the sub-district level, so they have a clearer role in how our towns and villages are run.”

The Committee is further recommending steps to insulate state-owned enterprises and key public sector appointments from partisan control. It wants a review of how board members and senior executives are selected across the public and commercial arms of the state.

“We’re also proposing significant changes in the Council of State and rethinking the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature,” Prof Prempeh added, reiterating the call to “dispense with” the current hybrid model in favour of a cleaner separation.

On integrity institutions, the CRC suggests unbundling the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) into two distinct bodies, one focused solely on human rights and another dedicated to corruption and integrity issues.

“We are proposing a one-year extension for the president. Four years is quite low,” Prof Prempeh said, adding that the Committee also favours shorter formal campaign periods to allow more time for governing.

Under the proposal, political parties would have a limited window for campaigning, reducing the tendency for early and prolonged electioneering that disrupts policy implementation.

The Mahama administration is now expected to review the report in detail, consult stakeholders, and decide which recommendations to take forward for possible constitutional amendment.