Ghana’s Constitution Review Committee (CRC) has completed the task it was formally given. Through extensive consultations and careful analysis, it compiled citizen views and expert input and submitted its report, Transforming Ghana: From Electoral Democracy to Developmental Democracy, to the President on Monday, December 22, 2025.

In procedural terms, the Committee’s mandate has been fulfilled. The next formal step of deciding which recommendations to adopt, amend, or defer now rests squarely with the President and the political process.

Yet this moment of transition also exposes a critical gap. Though the CRC’s technical and consultative work is complete, the communication work required to translate that effort into public understanding, trust, and impact is only beginning. This is why a strong case can be made for an extended, clearly defined mandate for the Committee (or an independent trusted successor structure) focused on strategic public communication.

Constitutional reform does not end with the submission of a report. In modern democracies, reform succeeds or fails in the public arena through how ideas are explained, contested, defended, and ultimately owned by citizens.

The CRC report addresses a widely felt concern: that elections alone, however peaceful, have not consistently delivered development, accountability, or inclusion. This diagnosis resonates strongly with public experience. But resonance is not automatic. It must be actively cultivated through communication.

Constitutional reform is complex by nature. Without structured, sustained explanation, reforms can easily be misunderstood, reduced to partisan talking points, or crowded out by mis/disinformation especially in the highly polarised media and digital environment we live in.

An extended communication-focused mandate would allow the CRC to help bridge the gap between technical proposals and public meaning, explaining what is being proposed, why it matters, and what trade-offs are involved, without lobbying for specific outcomes.

It is important to be precise. Ghana does not face a vacuum of information on constitutional reform. What it faces is a fragmented information environment in which partial narratives, speculation, and politically motivated interpretations can spread faster than careful explanation.

This is where mis/disinformation become risk, not because citizens are unwilling to engage, but because complex reforms are easily simplified or distorted. An extended CRC communication role would not be about defending the report against criticism. It would be about providing authoritative, non-partisan clarification so that debate is informed rather than confused.

Any call for an extended mandate must also respect constitutional and political boundaries. The CRC was not created to implement reforms, nor to campaign for them. Its core task was to gather views and advise the President, a mandate that has been duly fulfilled.

Equally clear is that the President retains full discretion over which recommendations to proceed with, how to sequence them, and whether to pursue constitutional amendments at all. An extended communication mandate would not alter this reality. It would simply ensure that whatever choices are made are understood in context, rather than interpreted through speculation or partisan framing.

In this sense, communication supports executive decision-making by stabilising expectations and reducing uncertainty.

The CRC is uniquely positioned to play this role for three reasons. First, it has credibility. Its recommendations are grounded in consultations with thousands of citizens and stakeholders across regions and sectors. That legitimacy cannot be easily replicated by ad hoc spokespersons.

Second, it has institutional memory. The Committee understands not only what was recommended, but why, including the competing views and trade-offs that shaped the final report.

Third, it has already demonstrated a capacity for public engagement through its consultations and outreach. An extended mandate would build on existing foundations rather than starting from scratch.

An extended communication mandate could be time-bound and clearly defined, focused on helping citizens understand constitutional reform rather than influencing decisions. It would translate key reform themes into plain language, clarify misconceptions, and provide accurate reference materials for the media, civil society, and civic educators.

It would also explain the range of reform options and possible pathways without promoting any particular outcome. Importantly, this would be facilitative communication, not advocacy, aimed at enabling informed public debate grounded in clarity and trust.

In conclusion, the CRC has finished its formal assignment with diligence and integrity. But constitutional reform is not a single event; it is a cycle that runs from consultation to recommendation, to decision, to public understanding.

At this juncture, H.E. President John Dramani Mahama has a choice as the Head of State. He can allow the report to enter public debate without structured guidance, risking confusion and polarisation. Or recognise non-partisan communication as a core component of reform impact and extend the CRC’s role to help the nation understand the choices before it.

When citizens understand reform, reform delivers. An extended communication mandate would not prolong the Committee’s work unnecessarily; it would complete it.

-

The author, Daniel Kwame Ampofo Adjei, Ph.D., PMP®, is a development consultant with a doctorate in Communication Studies and certification as a Project Management Professional.