Ghana Constitutional Review: Key Updates and Proposed Changes

Get the latest update on Ghana’s constitutional review, proposed amendments, key reforms, and what the changes could mean for governance and democracy.

The current constitutional review exercise in the Republic of Ghana has finally entered a critical stage, as the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) submits its findings and recommendations to the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, on December 22, 2025. The eight-member team, led by Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, has spent the year consulting widely and examining the antecedents of the various attempts to alter the 1992 Constitution.

The Committee’s Mandate

The CRC was launched in January 2025 and formed part of President Mahama’s campaign to enhance democratic governance. The key mandate for this committee was to review and examine the challenges encountered in implementing past constitutional reforms, including those arising from the 2010 Constitution Review Commission and those proposed by the 2023 Constitution Review Consultative Committee. The committee organised national consultative forums and submissions to ensure that everybody contributed to this agenda.

Key Recommendations

Amongst the extensive recommendations by the CRC, there is the separation of the executive from Parliament, an extension of the presidential term from four years to five years, an outright ban on the third term for presidents, and the reshaping of the Council of State according to the original structure in 1969. The committee also recommended amendments on how changes can more easily occur in the future.

The document, “Transforming Ghana: From Electoral Democracy to Developmental Democracy,” encourages a more development-focused, accountable, and people-oriented governance architecture. It recommends changes in the Executive, Parliament, Judiciary, Public Service, Decentralization, Human Rights, Public Finance, and National Security.

Why It Matters

The proposed amendment to the constitution is important to address the challenge of the deficit of democracy in the country. The proposed amendment will, if adopted, strengthen independence in the judiciary, minimize the power of the executive, and improve local governance. The proposed amendment, if passed, will mean transparency, accountability, and engagement to citizens at all costs to the citizens of Ghana.

Reactions to the Situation

The general public reaction has been mixed, with some civil society groups embracing the recommendations as long overdue, while other groups call for more public discussion. These recommendations from the CRC are now before Parliament, where they shall be debated and eventually, if passed, put to a national referendum as required by the Constitution. Ghana is at a crossroads.

The prospective result of the review of the country’s constitution may well set the course of democracy in the country for the next few years. The whole exercise has highlighted the need for inclusiveness in the making of a constitution which represents the hopes of the people of Ghana.