A governance expert, Professor Baffour Agyemang-Duah, has called for a reform of Ghana’s constitutional process for appointing and removing the Chief Justice. According to him, the process should be completely insulated from executive influence.
“The President has followed the Constitution, so I don’t fault him,” Prof. Agyemang-Duah said on TV3’s Key Point program. “But my problem is with a system that allows the executive to be involved at all.”
He emphasized the importance of maintaining the independence of the three arms of government, stating, “While they may not be equal, each plays a vital role in checking the others. That balance is essential in a democracy.”
Prof. Agyemang-Duah suggested that Ghana could learn from countries like Kenya, where the appointment of a Chief Justice is handled by an independent Judicial Council through a transparent and merit-based process.
“In Kenya, the President does not appoint the Chief Justice. Candidates apply, go through vetting, and the best is chosen and approved by Parliament,” he explained.
“We’ve politicized almost everything in this country, and that’s dangerous,” he warned, adding that this type of system reduces political interference and builds public trust.
Prof. Agyemang-Duah urged Ghanaians to seize the ongoing constitutional process as an opportunity to rethink the system and implement meaningful reforms.
“This is testing our democratic resilience. I believe we’ll come through this, but let’s use it to make real reforms,” he said.