Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has reiterated the need to revisit the 1992 Constitution to deepen the democratic governance in the country. He pointed out that since its re-creation in 2017, the Ministry highlighted the need to revisit the 1992 Constitution. The Minister, who said this at the lecture of the 1992 constitutional review held in Accra, also disclosed that the Ministry had included it in its 2022 Annual Action Plan as the priority area. According to Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, other notable governmental institutions such as National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Civil Society Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Independent Government Institutions (IGI) as well as many well-meaning Ghanaians have made suggestions for the amendment of some provisions in the 1992 Constitution to make it suitable to promote democratic governance system in the country. The Minister added that the 1992 Constitution when amended would summarize the holistic desires and aspirations of the Ghanaian populace. Another reason for a review of the Constitution was the extensive powers granted to the President under the Constitution, adding that the 1992 Constitution made the President so powerful to the extent that he, or she was more or less a monarch with unlimited power, he added. The President, he said, was vested with the power to appoint Ministers, District Chief Executives, Chief of security agencies, and Commissioners of constitutional bodies while all public lands and natural resources were also vested in him, or her. On his part, the Minority Leader, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, said the Constitution’s numerous discussions on constitutional review should give way to actual implementation. According to him, the Constitutional review committee set up by the late President John Evans Atta Mills had done extensive work regarding the constitutional review. It was time to set up a constitutional implementation committee to actualize the committee’s recommendations. The Seminar was organised by Prof. Mike Oquaye Centre for Constitutional Studies of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and was themed: “Reviewing Ghana’s 1992 Constitution: The Perspective of a Legislation.”
The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has reiterated the need to revisit the 1992 Constitution to deepen the democratic governance in the country. He pointed out that since its re-creation in 2017, the Ministry highlighted the need to revisit the 1992 Constitution. The Minister, who said this at the lecture of the 1992 constitutional review held in Accra, also disclosed that the Ministry had included it in its 2022 Annual Action Plan as the priority area. According to Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, other notable governmental institutions such as National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Civil Society Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Independent Government Institutions (IGI) as well as many well-meaning Ghanaians have made suggestions for the amendment of some provisions in the 1992 Constitution to make it suitable to promote democratic governance system in the country. The Minister added that the 1992 Constitution when amended would summarize the holistic desires and aspirations of the Ghanaian populace. Another reason for a review of the Constitution was the extensive powers granted to the President under the Constitution, adding that the 1992 Constitution made the President so powerful to the extent that he, or she was more or less a monarch with unlimited power, he added. The President, he said, was vested with the power to appoint Ministers, District Chief Executives, Chief of security agencies, and Commissioners of constitutional bodies while all public lands and natural resources were also vested in him, or her. On his part, the Minority Leader, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, said the Constitution’s numerous discussions on constitutional review should give way to actual implementation. According to him, the Constitutional review committee set up by the late President John Evans Atta Mills had done extensive work regarding the constitutional review. It was time to set up a constitutional implementation committee to actualize the committee’s recommendations. The Seminar was organised by Prof. Mike Oquaye Centre for Constitutional Studies of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and was themed: “Reviewing Ghana’s 1992 Constitution: The Perspective of a Legislation.”
