“The Constitution is a living document and must be nurtured to grow. The nurturing of a living constitution is vital for the sustenance of Ghana’s democracy and the promotion of sustainable development,” a Deputy chairman in charge of Operations of the NCCE, Samuel Asare Akuamoah, said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) last Sunday.

He explained that democracy grew when people identified the shortfalls in its practice and took the appropriate remedial measures to set things right.

30th anniversary

Mr Akuamoah said the NCCE had rolled out some activities nationwide to mark 30 years of uninterrupted constitutional rule in Ghana, beginning April 28.

The week was instituted in 2001 to commemorate the country’s return to constitutional democratic rule, significantly on April 28, 1992, where the electorate voted in a referendum to adopt the draft Fourth Republican Constitution, which subsequently came into force on January 7, 1993.

The NCCE would hold public lectures and dialogues on the theme: “After Three Decades of Democratic Rule under the 1992 Constitution: Revisiting the Agenda for Constitutional Reforms.”

Since its inception, April 28 to May 4 has been observed as the Annual Constitution Week. This year marks 30 years of uninterrupted constitutional rule in the Fourth Republic.

Success
“The success of constitutional rule in Ghana is classified as a fundamental accomplishment of all Ghanaians,” Mr Akuamoah said.

He explained that judging from the chequered democratic history of the country, the NCCE set out to protect the Fourth Republic with the setting up of the annual Constitution Week celebration.

The NCCE deputy chairman acknowledged that concerns raised over the past 30 years were relevant to the effective functioning of the Constitution.

“In the course of operating the 1992 Constitution for the past 30 years, various segments of the Ghanaian society, including government officials, legislators, political parties, academics, civil society organisations and constitutional experts have called for a thorough review of the document,” he said.

Some of the concerns related to the reapportionment of power, political authority and the revitalisation of the various institutions of state with the requisite architecture and resources to make them work to make the Constitution a truly living document.