Prof. Nana Oppong, Private legal practitioner
Private legal practitioner, Professor Nana Oppong, has welcomed the setting up of a committee to review and recommend aspects of the 1992 constitution that need to be amended.
Speaking to GhanaWeb in an exclusive interview, Professor Oppong insisted that the move by President John Mahama to inaugurate such a committee is ‘timely’ and ‘extremely bold.’
“President Mahama is brave and he ought to be respected for this selfless and very patriotic initiative. The constitution of Ghana needs to be amended in order to widely, systematically, and truly decentralise power, which is currently too concentrated in the presidency,” the legal expert said.
Prof Nana Oppong argued that as it stands now, the president is answerable only to God and practically controls every person and every aspect of the government.
“This issue of excess-consolidated power in a singular person trickle down to ministers and to government appointees throughout.
“The way the system is set up under the constitution, all those carrying out the duties of their offices in good faith are not accountable to anyone ultimately, except the president,” he said.
He added that per the current arrangements in the constitution, the threats of impeaching members of the executive and actions against corruption become toothless options, which cannot effectively bring about true accountability to the people of Ghana.
“The constitution also needs clarity as to the categorical imperatives or prioritised duties of government so that resources are not wasted on political pet projects or on unnecessary programs that waste the resources, lives, health, education and freedoms of Ghanaians,” Prof Oppong added.
President John Mahama, in January 2025, inaugurated an eight-member Constitutional Review Committee to identify gaps in previous constitutional reforms and recommend amendments to improve Ghana’s governance.
VPO/AE