The government has proposed a major constitutional reform that would remove the requirement for the President to appoint the majority of ministers from Parliament, arguing that the current provision unnecessarily limits the President’s ability to assemble the most competent team to govern.
Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, announced the proposal on Thursday July30, during the Government Accountability Series as he unveiled government’s position on the final recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee.
According to him, while government intends to preserve Ghana’s unique hybrid system of governance, it believes the President should have greater discretion in selecting ministers from both within and outside Parliament.
Dr. Ayine explained that the government’s position is to amend the constitutional provision requiring the President to appoint more than half of ministers from Parliament.
He said the existing arrangement ties the hands of every President, regardless of the circumstances or the expertise available outside the legislature.
“We prefer that a President should be given a free hand,” he stated.
Under the proposal, the President would no longer be constitutionally compelled to appoint the majority of ministers from Parliament. Instead, each President would decide how many ministers to appoint from among Members of Parliament and how many to select from outside the House.
According to Dr. Ayine, the change would provide greater flexibility while maintaining the country’s hybrid presidential system.
“When the President comes into office, he can decide whether he wants to appoint just one Member of Parliament as a minister or appoint more from Parliament,” he explained.
The Attorney General noted that Ghana deliberately adopted a hybrid model of governance that combines elements of the presidential system, as practised in the United States, and the parliamentary system found in countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia.
He said the rationale behind requiring ministers to be drawn from Parliament was to ensure Parliament remained closely involved in executive decision-making and that ministers benefited from parliamentary experience.
However, government believes the mandatory threshold is no longer necessary.
Dr. Ayine stressed that removing the constitutional requirement does not mean future Presidents would exclude Members of Parliament from Cabinet.
“I don’t think any President will appoint all ministers from outside Parliament because there will always be expertise within Parliament that a President will need,” he said.
Instead, he argued, the amendment would simply expand the pool from which ministers can be selected, enabling Presidents to appoint individuals with specialised knowledge and technical competence regardless of whether they hold parliamentary seats.
The proposal forms part of government’s response to the final report of the Constitution Review Committee chaired by constitutional lawyer Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh.
The committee, established by President John Dramani Mahama in January 2025, submitted a report containing 206 proposed constitutional amendments after conducting nationwide consultations with citizens, governance experts and key stakeholders.
Dr. Ayine said government subjected every recommendation to constitutional and legal analysis before Cabinet approved its official position.
Recommendations were categorised as accepted, accepted in principle with modifications, or rejected, with reasons provided for each decision.
He said the proposal on ministerial appointments reflects government’s broader objective of strengthening governance while preserving the country’s constitutional framework.
According to the Attorney General, giving the President greater flexibility in choosing ministers would enhance executive effectiveness without altering Ghana’s distinctive hybrid system of government.
CREDIT: MAVIS FANTEVI