Lawyer, activist and academic Oliver Barker-Vormawor has been appointed Secretary of the 11-member Constitution Review Implementation Committee (CRIC), inaugurated by Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.

The committee is expected to examine the government’s position paper alongside the recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee and develop a comprehensive framework for implementing the proposals accepted by government.

The committee forms part of the next stage of Ghana’s constitutional review process, with government committing to an inclusive and transparent process aimed at reflecting the aspirations of Ghanaians and strengthening democratic governance.

Profile of Oliver Barker-Vormawor?

Oliver Barker-Vormawor is a Ghanaian lawyer, activist and academic known for his role as a co-founder and lead convener of the #FixTheCountry movement, which has advocated government accountability and systemic reforms.

He is also a governance advisor with extensive legal and policy experience across Ghana, other African countries, the United States and the United Nations system.

Mr Barker-Vormawor is currently a Cambridge-Africa PhD student at the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge, where his research focuses on global governance and international law, particularly the participation of developing countries in global governance frameworks.

Read Also: Check out the 11-member committee inaugurated to implement Ghana’s Constitution review.

Before commencing his doctoral programme at Cambridge, he held several positions in government, the private sector and international organisations.

He served as a diplomat in Ghana’s Foreign Service, Senior Legal and Policy Officer at the Office of the President, Judicial Fellow to the Vice President of the International Court of Justice and Legal Officer at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

He also worked as Global Law and Policy Advisor at international law firm Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, DC.

His professional experience further includes consulting work with international and multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, UNDP, DFID, OSIWA and ClientEarth.

Previous role in constitutional review

Mr Barker-Vormawor has previously been directly involved in Ghana’s constitutional review process.

Between January 2010 and December 2011, he served as a Constitutional Researcher and Access to Justice Advisor to Ghana’s Constitution Review Commission.

The commission was established to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the 1992 Constitution and make recommendations on possible amendments.

His work with the commission earned him an award for “Extra-Ordinary Services as Researcher to the Constitution Review Commission.”

His appointment as Secretary of the implementation committee therefore brings him back to a process he was involved in more than a decade ago.

Mr Barker-Vormawor holds previous degrees from the University of Ghana, Université Mohammed V, Souissi in Rabat, Université Hassan II in Casablanca and Harvard Law School in the United States.

At Cambridge, his doctoral research seeks to examine biases in international law and explore ways of strengthening the position of developing countries within global governance frameworks.

In his new role, he will serve as Secretary to the committee chaired by Presidential Legal Counsel and former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Marietta Agyeiwaa Brew, as it works towards translating the accepted constitutional reform proposals into an implementation framework.