Constitutional reform must prioritise true separation of powers – Prof Prempeh

The Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Prof Henry Kwasi Prempeh, has called for greater focus on achieving a meaningful separation of powers as part of ongoing constitutional reforms.

He warned that failure to address the issue effectively could further undermine democratic accountability.

Speaking to the media, Prof Prempeh acknowledged strong public support for reforming the current structure of government, especially concerning the concentration of power in the executive.

“Almost everybody wants separation of powers so that Parliament would be freed to do the oversight work,” he stated.

“The principle of electing MMDCEs, now everybody agrees they must be elected, but the question is how?”

On the inclusion of chiefs in governance, Prof Prempeh said there is support for it, but how to implement it also remains a concern.

“The ‘how’ is important because we do not want to take a step that will compound a problem that we currently have,” he cautioned. “We are looking for solutions to problems, not worsening existing problems. Some of those steps, if we don’t get the ‘how’ right, may really make matters worse.”

The committee is expected to present the much-anticipated report to President John Mahama in the coming days with major recommendations in deepening Ghana’s democratic governance.