This, the President said, was an opportunity to ensure that the nation’s constitutional framework truly reflected the collective aspirations of the Ghanaian people and served as a robust instrument for national progress.
President Mahama made the appeal on Thursday, March 6, in his address to the nation at Ghana’s 68th Independence Anniversary Celebration Parade at the forecourt of the Presidency in Accra.
He said the 1992 Constitution had provided a stable framework for governance and delivered the most extended period of constitutional democracy in the nation’s history; however, like any enduring legal and political framework, it had flaws and loopholes.
The President said recognizing the need for refinement, the late President John Evans Atta Mills initiated a constitutional review process in 2010, leading to the establishment of the Constitutional Review Commission.
He said the previous administration of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also undertook some constitutional reviews.
President Mahama said considering evolving national and global dynamics, he had constituted a new Review Constitutional Committee to undertake a comprehensive and inclusive reassessment of the Constitution.
“This endeavour is essential as the strength of our democracy, the integrity of our constitutional order, and the rule of law requires continuous renewal,” President Mahama said.
“We must not allow weaknesses in our governance framework to fester until they threaten national stability. Instead, we must take proactive steps to reinforce the very foundation of our democracy.”
President Mahama said Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s founding President, understood the essence of unity, not only in Ghana but on the entire African continent, when he said: “The forces that unite us are inherently and far greater than the divisions imposed upon us”.
The special guest of honour at Ghana’s 68th Independence Anniversary Celebration Parade was former President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania.
Also in attendance were Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, former Presidents: Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and John Agyekum Kufuor.
The Government moved the traditional national day parade from the Independence Square to the forecourt of the Presidency to save cost.
GNA
