Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have endorsed key Constitution Review Committee (CRC) proposals on environmental governance and urged the government to publish a roadmap for constitutional reforms.

The groups described the recommendations as a significant opportunity to strengthen accountability and sustainable management of Ghana’s natural resources.

The endorsement was made at a meeting convened by the Citizens' Platform on Constitutional Reform (CPCR) to review the committee's report, titled Transforming Ghana: From Electoral Democracy to Developmental Democracy.

Participants said the report presented an opportunity to reform governance of the environment, land, energy, and natural resources to promote shared prosperity.

The CSOs particularly welcomed proposals to establish a public trust doctrine that would vest ownership of minerals, water resources, public lands, and other natural resources in the people of Ghana, with the state holding them in trust for present and future generations.

They said the recommendation, together with binding fiduciary obligations on public institutions responsible for land and resource administration, could strengthen accountability and long-term stewardship of natural resources.

The groups also endorsed the proposal to adopt 12 constitutional principles to guide environmental governance, including intergenerational equity, Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and the precautionary principle.

Other recommendations that received support included restricting compulsory land acquisition to clearly defined public purposes with fair compensation; strengthening parliamentary oversight mechanisms; establishing Community Benefit and Heritage Funds; and creating a Natural Resource Commission.

The CSOs also welcomed proposals to recognise ecocide as a constitutional offence but urged Parliament to clearly define its scope and develop effective enforcement mechanisms.

They said enforcement measures should include legal accountability for breaches of public trust obligations, annual audits, and expanded opportunities for public interest litigation.

They, however, identified gaps requiring further consideration, including the absence of operational measures for civic environmental responsibility under Article 41(k), the exclusion of the polluter-pays principle, limited protection for environmental defenders, and the need for a specialised Environmental and Natural Resources Court.

The CSOs said constitutional reforms should not be delayed amid increasing environmental pressures, including illegal mining, loss of forest cover, and growing stress on water resources.

The Platform called for the immediate publication of the full CRC report, a reform roadmap with clear implementation timelines, and a legislative and referendum calendar in line with Articles 289 to 291 of the Constitution.

It reaffirmed its readiness to support public education and technical engagement while ensuring that communities most affected by environmental degradation remained central to the reform process.