Citizens Platform Demands Immediate Release of Constitutional Review Report

Accra, March 16, – The Citizens Platform on Constitutional Reform has called on President John Dramani Mahama to immediately publish the full report of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) and outline a clear roadmap for the next phase of Ghana’s constitutional reform process.

The Platform, a coalition of about 80 citizen, professional and academic organisations, made the call at a press conference in Accra on Monday, expressing concern over delays in the release of the committee’s comprehensive report and the lack of clarity on the implementation process.

Prof. Akosua K. Darkwah, Chair of the Citizens Platform on Constitutional Reform, who presented the statement on behalf of the group, said transparency and public participation were essential to ensuring the success of the constitutional reform exercise.

She said the publication of the CRC’s full report would allow citizens to access the detailed reasoning behind the committee’s recommendations and engage meaningfully in shaping the reforms.

“The publication of the CRC’s full report is critical to creating transparency and informed public participation. Citizens must have access to the detailed reasoning and evidence behind the Committee’s recommendations,” she said.

President Mahama established the CRC in fulfilment of a manifesto commitment by the ruling National Democratic Congress to review Ghana’s constitutional framework under the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and propose reforms to strengthen governance.

The main opposition New Patriotic Party had also pledged to pursue constitutional reforms through engagement with Parliament and other stakeholders, reflecting broad political recognition of the need to review the Constitution.

The Committee, after nearly a year of nationwide consultations and stakeholder engagements, submitted a summary of its recommendations to the President on December 22, 2025, which was subsequently made public and generated widespread public debate.

However, although the comprehensive final report was presented to the Office of the President in January 2026, it has not yet been made available to the public.

Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante, Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Centre for Democratic Development Ghana and a steering committee member of the Platform, said the release of the full report should not be tied to any government “position paper”.

He said making the report public would allow stakeholders to examine the justification for the committee’s recommendations and contribute constructively to the reform process.

Dr. Asante also cautioned that time was running out for the reform exercise due to constitutional amendment procedures that required three months’ gazette notice for non-entrenched provisions and six months’ notice for entrenched provisions.

“This exercise will involve both entrenched and non-entrenched provisions, so we really need to get the process moving,” he said.

The Platform further called on the President to urgently establish a Constitutional Review Implementation Committee (CRIC) to guide the next stage of the reform process and facilitate consensus building among political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.

According to the Platform, the implementation committee should focus on coordinating and implementing the CRC’s recommendations rather than reopening debates that had already been concluded during the review process.

Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance and a steering committee member of the Platform, said public education would play a crucial role in ensuring the success of the reform process.

He urged journalists to help explain the proposed reforms to citizens so they could engage their Members of Parliament when the proposals were brought before the legislature.

“It would be quite historic if this time we do not shelve the reform process,” Dr. Akwetey said, noting that previous attempts to review the Constitution had stalled.

The Platform also urged the Government to publish a transparent implementation timeline outlining consultation stages, legislative steps and possible referendum requirements for constitutional amendments.

It warned that delays could undermine the reform process, particularly as partisan political activities were expected to intensify ahead of the next electoral cycle.

The Citizens Platform on Constitutional Reform is a collaborative initiative facilitated by the Centre for Democratic Development Ghana, the STAR-Ghana Foundation and The Democracy Hub, bringing together diverse organisations and citizens to coordinate advocacy and engagement in Ghana’s ongoing constitutional reform process.

The Platform reiterated its commitment to supporting the reform process through public education, collaboration with stakeholders and citizen engagement to ensure that the outcome reflects the aspirations of the Ghanaian people.

By Joseph Kobla Wemakor