Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo expressed her disagreement with former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s claim that Ghana’s 1992 Constitution is perfect and requires no review.

In an interview on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, January 7, she called for an open-minded approach to constitutional reforms, emphasizing the need for periodic updates to ensure its relevance in addressing contemporary challenges.

“I’ve never agreed with the former president that the Constitution is so perfect that it doesn’t need to be reviewed,” Sophia Akuffo stated.

“The Constitution, being a living document, has to be nursed, nurtured, tweaked, and massaged. From time to time, we must take a look to see whether it continues in every respect to suit the current day purposes.”

The former Chief Justice described a review process as a vital aspect of constitutional governance, rejecting the notion that amending the Constitution undermines its credibility.

“There is nothing wrong with reviewing or revising a constitution to make sure that every provision serves the purposes of the people,” she explained.

She backed former President John Mahama’s recent call for revisiting the constitutional review process initiated over a decade ago but left incomplete.

“I am fully in agreement with President Mahama that there should be a review of the process started over a decade ago. Unfortunately, it came to, how would I say? An unceremonious pause,” she said.

Sophia Akuffo pointed out that after more than three decades of using the current Constitution, certain provisions have proven inadequate or outdated.

“We need to acknowledge that there are certain parts that are not working the way we had anticipated,” she remarked. “There are ways it can be better.”