President John Dramani Mahama has assured Ghanaians that the recommendations contained in the Constitution Review Committee’s final report will be implemented in a bipartisan manner to promote national unity and progress.
The President gave the assurance on Monday, December 22, when the committee formally presented its final report to him. Describing the document as a timely contribution, Mr Mahama thanked the committee for what he called a “beautiful Christmas gift.”
“We chose the committee very carefully so that when the report comes, it will be non-partisan and make it easier for all of us to come together to move the country forward,” he said. “This report has come at the right time, and we will implement it in a bipartisan manner.”
The Constitution Review Committee made several far-reaching recommendations, including proposals to review the powers of the Attorney-General.
According to the committee, some of the Attorney-General’s current responsibilities—particularly those related to corruption-related matters—should be transferred to an independent Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. This, the committee believes, would allow the Attorney-General to focus on international arbitration and major constitutional cases.
Presenting the report, the committee’s chairperson, Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, explained that under the proposals, functions such as investigations under the ORAL framework would be handled by a separate body.
“We want to take some of the powers of the Attorney-General and give them to an Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission,” he said.
The committee also recommended extending the presidential term from four to five years, arguing that the current duration is too short to allow governments to fully implement their programmes.
The Constitution Review Committee has spent several months gathering views from across the country on possible amendments to Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
President Mahama disclosed that the committee had earlier briefed him on its preliminary findings during a meeting held about three weeks prior to the submission of the final report.
“They met me three weeks ago and made a presentation of some of the findings they were going to make.
They are quite interesting,” he said at the time during discussions with the National Peace Council at the Jubilee House on Wednesday, December 10. “Once the final report is presented, we will make it known to the rest of the nation.”
By Sampson Kumah Ifeetwube Elvis
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