{
  "id": 132118,
  "title": "Constitutional review process legitimate, but government is diluting key recommendations – Prof Agyemang-Duah",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/constitutional-review-process-legitimate-but-government-is-diluting",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-04T13:28:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/constitutional-review-process-legitimate-but-government-is-diluting-key-recommendations-prof-agyemang-duah/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former United Nations Senior Governance Adviser Prof. Baffour Agyemang-Duah has declared Ghana's ongoing constitutional review process to be legally valid, but expressed concerns over the government's treatment of key suggestions. In an interview on Joy FM's Midday News, he affirmed that there are no legal grounds to challenge the legitimacy of the review, given that it is being conducted under a democratically elected administration. However, Agyemang-Duah's main apprehension lies in the alterations or reversals that the government has implemented to some of the recommendations following extensive nationwide consultation by the Constitutional Review Committee. \"The issue that troubles me is the fact that after we allowed a committee to tour the country, gather public opinion, and formulate proposals, the government has started to modify or amend them,\" he noted. The scholar also endorsed the call for a thoughtful approach to constitutional reforms, advocating against hastening changes to the nation's constitution. He cautioned that rushing the process could result in an undesirable outcome. Agyemang-Duah highlighted decentralisation as a critical area where the government's plan deviates from the recommendations voiced during public consultations. He pointed out that earlier constitutional revision efforts under the late President John Evans Atta Mills included the proposal to elect Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), but these ideas were watered down in the government's White Paper. Similarly, he questioned the current proposal allowing the government to nominate five candidates, including two women, before narrowing the selection to three for ministerial approval. Agyemang-Duah contended that this approach would foster a one-party system, as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would not endorse opposition candidates, thereby undermining the intended decentralisation. He insisted that genuine decentralisation should enable voters to elect their local leaders, including independents, without interference from the central government.",
  "summary": "Former United Nations Senior Governance Adviser Prof. Baffour Agyemang-Duah has described Ghana's ongoing constitutional review process as legally legitimate but warned that the government's handling of key recommendations risks undermining the intent of the exercise.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}