The Youth Platform on Constitution Reform, a youth advocacy group, has called on the government to immediately establish a multi-stakeholder Constitution Reform Implementation Committee with a defined mandate, clear timelines and regional representation.

“The composition of that committee must include structured youth representation at the decision-making level. Youth inclusion must be substantive, not ceremonial,” it said.

At a press conference in Accra on April 21, the Spokesperson for the group, Kirchuffs Atengble, further called for the establishment of a cross-party parliamentary oversight committee to monitor progress, receive public submissions and report regularly to both Parliament and the public.

“The youth of Ghana are prepared to participate actively in every stage of this process. We are available as advocates, as civil society partners and as direct participants in any consultative framework the government establishes.

What we are not prepared to do is wait indefinitely while a viable reform moment is allowed to pass,” he stressed.

Demands

Mr Atengble entreated the government to publish the full report of the CRC without redaction and outline a clear road map for constitutional reform, as delays could undermine the process.

He stressed that the release of the full report was, therefore, the precondition for any further engagement by the group and the Ghanaian public.

Support

Mr Atengble expressed support for several key proposals outlined in the summary, including lowering the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 30 years.

He said the group also backed a cap on ministerial appointments and the prohibition of Members of Parliament from serving as ministers or deputy ministers at the same time.

Other proposals he said the group supported included extending presidential and parliamentary terms from four to five years, removing restrictions on dual citizens contesting parliamentary elections and recognising a constitutional right to public participation in the legislative process.

On political party reforms, the spokesperson said the group supported the abolition of the delegate system in favour of full membership voting, the establishment of an independent regulator for political parties and campaigns, and the creation of a Democracy Fund.

He also endorsed judicial reforms aimed at reducing administrative powers concentrated in the Office of the Chief Justice, as well as decentralisation measures such as the establishment of an Independent Devolution Commission and the direct election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.

Concerns

However, Mr Atengble emphasised that the support for each of those proposals was conditional.

He warned that the country risked repeating past failures if the current reform momentum was not sustained.

“The CRC recommendations reflect a level of cross-partisan consensus that is not common in Ghana’s constitutional history.

That consensus is the product of a structured process and a specific political moment. It will not hold indefinitely,” Mr Atengble said.

“Ghana’s constitutional reform history contains a clear precedent for what happens when committee reports are produced and not acted upon.

The work of the Fiadjoe Commission was serious and considered. It did not result in reform,” he added.