Journalists Urged to Take Keen Interest in Constitutional Review Process

Mohammed Awal Alhassan, Executive Director, NORSAAC

Journalists across Northern Ghana have been urged to take a keen interest in Ghana’s ongoing constitutional review process to help educate the public and promote informed decision-making ahead of a possible referendum in 2027.

Executive Director of NORSAAC and Vice Chairperson of the Citizens Platform on Constitutional Review, said the 1992 Constitution affects every Ghanaian in their daily lives, making it imperative for journalists to deepen their understanding of the review process.

Mr. Alhassan Mohammed Awal made the call at a day’s capacity-building workshop on the constitutional review process for selected journalists from across Northern Ghana in Tamale.

Mr Awal said journalists, as members of the Fourth Estate, had a critical responsibility to explain the issues surrounding the review process to the public in a clear, accurate and accessible manner.

He stressed that equipping journalists with the relevant knowledge would enable them to provide the public with the necessary information to make informed decisions when the proposed referendum takes place.

The constitutional review process has reached a significant stage, with the committee tasked with reviewing the 1992 Constitution having submitted its recommendations. Government has also issued a White Paper and established a committee to oversee the implementation of the recommendations.

The process is expected to culminate in a referendum, potentially in 2027, subject to the government’s implementation arrangements and the necessary constitutional procedures.

Mr Awal explained that the Citizens Platform on Constitutional Review, which comprises more than 100 civil society organisations, youth networks and labour unions, had undertaken the capacity-building initiative because of the importance of the constitutional review process to Ghana’s democratic development.

He said the platform recognised the media’s strategic role in shaping public understanding of constitutional issues and ensuring that citizens were adequately informed about proposed changes.