President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans for Ghana to hold a referendum on proposed constitutional amendments alongside the 2027 District Assembly elections.
The President said the arrangement would allow eligible voters to elect Assembly Members while also taking a decision on proposed changes to provisions of the 1992 Constitution.
He made this known during a citizens’ engagement in Bolgatanga on the second day of his working tour of the Upper East Region under the Resetting Ghana Tour.
According to President Mahama, the government is currently working to identify the proposed constitutional changes that can be approved by Parliament and those that require a referendum.
He explained that amendments to provisions classified as non-entrenched would only require parliamentary approval, while changes affecting entrenched provisions would have to go through the referendum process.
“We therefore want to add the referendum to the District Assembly elections next year,” President Mahama said, explaining that voters would be required to cast ballots for their Assembly Members and also vote on the proposed constitutional changes.
Constitutional review committee
President Mahama disclosed that a Constitutional Review Implementation Committee would soon be established to advance the process.
The committee is expected to examine the government’s position paper together with the reports produced by the Constitutional Review Commission.
It will subsequently group the proposed constitutional amendments into entrenched and non-entrenched provisions to determine the appropriate approval process.
President Mahama said proposals concerning non-entrenched provisions would be presented to Parliament for consideration and approval.
However, amendments involving entrenched provisions would require a referendum before they could be implemented.
He noted that the Constitution sets specific requirements for such a referendum, including the need for at least 40 percent of registered voters to participate and for at least 75 percent of those who vote to support the proposed changes.
The President said combining the referendum with the 2027 District Assembly elections would make it easier to organise the exercise and allow citizens to participate in both processes at the same time.
Kologo development requests
The engagement also provided an opportunity for traditional leaders and residents to raise concerns about development in their communities.
The Paramount Chief of the Kologo Traditional Area, Naba Clifford Abagna Tandegrewongrekugre Asobayire V, appealed to the government for a road project and the establishment of a Senior High School in the area.
President Mahama responded by directing the Minister of Roads and Highways to take steps to ensure that the requested road project is undertaken.
He also tasked the Minister of Education with initiating the necessary processes towards establishing a Senior High School in the Kologo Traditional Area.
The President’s announcement forms part of the government’s broader efforts to advance proposed reforms to Ghana’s constitutional and governance framework.
