Former Chief Justice and Senior Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Sophia Akuffo, has called for constitutional reforms that give citizens a stronger and more meaningful role in decisions affecting their communities.

She said Ghana’s democratic system must be restructured to move beyond simply giving citizens a voice in governance and create opportunities for them to directly influence important decisions at the local level.

Speaking at an IEA forum on the Prempeh Committee’s report and the government’s position on constitutional review on Tuesday, October 6, Sophia Akuffo said the way the Constitution has been implemented has left many citizens with limited influence over decisions that directly affect their lives.

She argued that the concentration of decision-making in the hands of a relatively small group has weakened the ability of ordinary citizens, particularly those outside major urban centres, to influence development priorities in their communities.

“The current outcome of our present Constitution, as it has been practised, has been that if you’re not sitting at a table, if you’re not one of the people sitting at the table, if you don’t watch out, you’re part of the food that is being eaten or shared,” she said.

According to her, the imbalance is evident in the distribution of resources and opportunities between urban centres and the countryside, where citizens often have less influence over decisions that affect their communities.

Sophia Akuffo stressed that citizen participation is central to a functioning democracy and should be strengthened through any constitutional reform process.

She called for specific provisions that would increase public participation and give citizens a more direct role in decisions taken at levels where those decisions have the greatest impact on their lives.

“The voice of the people is very important and it was expected to be quite loud even under the present Constitution,” she said.

She warned that without deliberate constitutional measures to strengthen public participation, the concerns and priorities of many citizens could continue to be overlooked.

“And true democracy, especially when you want development, can only come about if there is meaningful participation of the people, not only vocally but meaningfully participating in the choice, in the important choices at the levels where it matters to them,” she said.