Cabinet Finalizes Position Paper on Constitutional Review

Ghana’s Cabinet has entered its third and final session to conclude the government’s position on sweeping constitutional review proposals, moving the country a step closer to what could become the most significant reform of its governance structures in decades.

Presidential Spokesperson and Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, confirmed that the session was underway as government works to finalise its stance ahead of formal implementation.

The Cabinet’s deliberations follow the submission of a comprehensive report in December 2025 by the Constitutional Review Committee, led by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh.

That report has since undergone multiple rounds of scrutiny, with Cabinet holding several sessions throughout the first-half of 2026 to settle government’s position before handing the document to the newly established Constitutional Review Implementation Committee, which will guide the reforms through the legislative process.

The push for constitutional review began in January 2025, when President John Dramani Mahama inaugurated an eight-member committee tasked with identifying and addressing structural gaps in the country’s governance framework.

Between February and November 2025, the committee conducted zonal and institutional engagements across the country, gathering input from citizens and stakeholders on how Ghana’s constitution should evolve.

The committee’s work culminated on December 22, 2025, when Professor Prempeh formally presented the final recommendations to President Mahama.

By March 2026, the President had announced plans to roll out the Constitutional Review Implementation Committee, setting the stage for the current phase of Cabinet deliberations that are now nearing completion.

Among the most consequential recommendations contained in the committee’s final report is a proposal to restructure the presidential term.

The committee has suggested shifting from the current four-year tenure to a five-year tenure, a change intended to give elected leaders greater continuity to pursue long-term policy without the disruption of frequent electoral cycles.

Despite this proposed extension, the committee firmly upheld the existing two-term limit for the presidency, explicitly ruling out any possibility of a third term.

This provision signals an intent to preserve one of the more widely supported safeguards in Ghana’s current constitutional order, even as other structural elements face significant revision.

The report also recommends severing the constitutional requirement that compels the President to appoint the majority of government ministers from sitting Members of Parliament.

 

If adopted, this change would represent a fundamental shift in the relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government, potentially reducing the concentration of power currently vested in the presidency through parliamentary appointments.

The committee’s recommendations extend deeply into local governance, proposing that Ghanaians directly elect their Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, commonly known as MMDCEs.

Currently, these positions are filled through presidential appointment, a system that has long drawn criticism for limiting local accountability and citizen participation in district-level governance.

Alongside this proposal, the committee has recommended integrating traditional chiefs more directly into the legislative and governing frameworks of district assemblies.

This recommendation reflects an attempt to formally recognise the role traditional authorities already play in many communities, while embedding that influence within the structures of local government rather than leaving it informal.

On accountability, the committee has proposed the formation of an independent Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission with exclusive prosecutorial powers.

Such a body, if established, would mark a significant departure from the current arrangement, where anti-corruption enforcement is distributed across multiple agencies with varying degrees of independence and prosecutorial authority.

The report also recommends lifting the existing ban that prevents dual-citizenship Ghanaians from contesting parliamentary seats. This proposal, if adopted, would open political participation to a broader segment of the Ghanaian diaspora, many of whom have previously been excluded from seeking legislative office due to their dual nationality status.