Sophia Akuffo calls for stronger constitutional checks on presidential power

Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has called for stronger constitutional safeguards to prevent excessive concentration of power in the hands of Ghana’s President.

She said although the President must be vested with sufficient authority to govern effectively, such powers must be clearly defined and subject to effective checks and balances.

“Presidents should have powers, but they cannot be unfettered powers,” she said.

The former Chief Justice and Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) said Ghana’s democratic system would be strengthened if the separation of powers among the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary were more effectively enforced.

According to her, the three arms of government must operate with appropriate oversight mechanisms to prevent any one branch from becoming excessively powerful.

She argued that the experience Ghana has gained from operating the 1992 Constitution for more than three decades has exposed weaknesses and anomalies that need to be addressed through constitutional reforms.

“In many ways, our Constitution has worked out for us over the years of its existence, it has created a lot of anomalies which we must correct to move our democracy on to the next level for sustainability because people are getting fed up,” she said.

Madam Akuffo stressed that constitutional reform should therefore not merely seek to amend isolated provisions but should address structural weaknesses that affect the balance of power within the democratic system.

She maintained that stronger constitutional guardrails would help ensure that presidential authority is exercised within clearly established limits while strengthening institutional accountability.

Her comments come amid renewed discussions about the need to review aspects of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, particularly provisions concerning the distribution and exercise of state power.