ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
Our position, however, is that they belong in the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), and not in the Constitution.
Fiscal rules must be adaptable as economic conditions change.
The Constitution should state principles; the statute should carry the procedures.
The Government will accordingly bring amendments to the Public Financial Management Act to give effect to these recommendations.
Fundamental Human Rights 28.
On the issue of fundamental human rights, the Government has accepted the recommendation to abolish the death penalty.
The relevant provisions of Articles 3, 13, 19 and 72 will be amended accordingly, and offences that previously attracted the death penalty will attract life imprisonment.
The death penalty is inconsistent with the constitutional right to life and with Ghana’s international human rights obligations.
Now, let me spend a moment on what I consider a key pillar of the Position Paper: the proposed Human Rights Act.
The Committee made numerous proposals to expand the rights protected in Chapter Five of the Constitution: economic, social and cultural rights, the rights of women, children, persons with disabilities, older persons and the youth, the right to healthcare, the right to housing, the right to a clean and healthy environment, the right to food in custody, and more.
The Government accepts the spirit of virtually all of these proposals.
But here is the difficulty.
Chapter Five is entrenched.
Every amendment to it requires a national referendum.
Subjecting each of these new rights to a referendum would impose a procedural burden disproportionate to the gain.
The Constitution itself shows us the way out.
Article 33(5) provides that the rights expressly mentioned in Chapter Five are not to be regarded as excluding others which are inherent in a democracy and intended to 8 secure the freedom and dignity of man.
Pursuant to that provision, the Government will enact a comprehensive Human Rights Act.
The Act will elaborate on the rights already guaranteed, extend protection to the new categories of rights identified by the Committee, incorporate Ghana’s obligations under the international human rights treaties to which we are party, and provide detailed enforcement mechanisms.
It will be justiciable and enforceable.
And because it is a statute, it can be improved as standards evolve and as our institutional capacity develops.
Most of the Committee’s recommendations on fundamental rights are going into this Act.
In the same spirit, the Government has accepted the recommendation of a constitutional right of abode for persons of African descent in the diaspora, subject to conditions set by Parliament, with a heritage-based pathway to citizenship.
Ghana has a proud tradition of welcoming the African diaspora, and this provides a principled framework for the Year of Return and Beyond the Return.
Parliament will legislate the criteria and safeguards, and measures will be put in place to ensure the right is not abused.
Corruption and Accountability 32.
From rights, let me turn to accountability.
The Committee recommended the establishment of an Independent Anti-Corruption and Ethics Commission with the power to investigate and prosecute corruption, and to assume the functions of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
The Government accepts the proposal in principle, but the objective does not require a constitutional amendment.
The Government will through the Conduct of Public Officers Bill which is currently before Parliament, establish a Public Ethics Commission with the power to investigate and prosecute acts of corruption and conflict of interest involving public officers and their collaborators in the private sector.
Its mandate would be similar to that of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau of Singapore, but, unlike that Bureau, it will be independent of Executive control.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this briefing would be incomplete without me telling you about the changes affecting my own Ministry.
It is not every 9 day that a Minister stands before the press to announce the splitting of his own office.
The Committee recommended removing the Attorney General’s authority to prosecute corruption offences, and recommended requiring leave of the court before a prosecution may be discontinued.
The Government has not accepted those proposals, for reasons set out fully in the Paper.
But the Government has squarely addressed the concern that lies beneath them, namely, that an Attorney General who sits in Cabinet cannot comfortably prosecute members of the government of which he is part.
The Government proposes that Article 88(1) be amended to remove the requirement that the Attorney General be a Minister of State.
A separate portfolio of the Minister of Justice will be established to oversee the justice sector.
The Attorney General will remain the principal legal adviser of the Republic and the repository of the prosecutorial authority of the State, but will cease to be a Minister of State.
And to guarantee the prosecutorial independence of the office, a new clause will be inserted in Article 88 to give the Attorney General the same terms and conditions of service as a Justice of the Supreme Court.
This is a significant restructuring of the legal architecture of the Executive, and I believe history will judge it kindly.
Constitutional Amendment and Roadmap 36.
Government has accepted the introduction of a citizen-initiative mechanism for constitutional amendment.
Citizens will be able to propose amendments to the Constitution upon securing the support of registered voters, subject to minimum regional representation and gender-balance requirements.
The Government proposes that the threshold be ten percent of registered voters, rather than the five percent recommended, so that the mechanism is invoked only where a proposal commands substantial national support.
The initiative will be triggered through the Council of State.
The Constitution belongs to the people, and the people should be able to knock on its door directly.
The roadmap is set out in the Paper, and it is deliberate and time bound.
Following today’s publication, the President will swear in the 10 Constitution Review Implementation Committee (CRIC).
The CRIC will prepare two Constitution Amendment Bills simultaneously.
The first Bill will cover the amendments to the non-entrenched provisions of the Constitution.
It will follow the procedure in Article 291: publication in the Gazette, laying in Parliament, referral to the Council of State for advice, and passage by a two-thirds majority of all Members of Parliament, followed by Presidential assent.
The second Bill will cover the amendments to the entrenched provisions.
That Bill must travel the road prescribed by Article 290.
It will be referred to the Council of State for advice, published in the Gazette for six months, laid in Parliament and then submitted to the people of Ghana at a national referendum.
For the referendum to carry, at least forty percent of eligible registered voters must turn out, and at least seventy-five percent of the votes cast must be in favour.
The two draft Bills should be ready by October 2026.
And here I should mention one practical reality- a national referendum is an expensive undertaking.
To avoid the enormous cost of organizing a standalone referendum, the Government intends that the referendum on the second Bill be held alongside the District Assembly elections in 2027.
We will work closely with the Electoral Commission on the calendar.
Alongside the two Bills, the Government will bring the complementary legislative reforms I have spoken of, including amendments to existing laws such as the Public Financial Management Act and the enactment of new legislation such as the Human Rights Act, to give effect to the recommendations that do not require constitutional changes.
Conclusion 42.
Ladies and Gentlemen, permit me to close with thanks.
I thank His Excellency the President for his leadership of this process and for his unwavering commitment to constitutional reform.
I thank my colleagues in Cabinet for their extensive input and helpful deliberations on the Position Paper.
The document being published today is far richer for the scrutiny it received around the Cabinet table.
And I thank, once again, the Constitution Review Committee, whose diligent work made this moment possible.
I wish to thank my able and indefatigable Deputy, the Honourable Dr.
Justice Srem-Sai.
Justice held the fort in the courts of law, from the Supreme Court to the High Court, on a daily basis so I can devote time and effort to the constitutional reform project and to the management of the affairs of the Department.
That is true partnership at work and the kind of division of labor that produces results.
I cannot end without thanking the junior lawyers in our secretariat, especially Saeed Moomin, for their tireless assistance in this project and especially in the preparation of this Position Paper.
The Position Paper and the Final Report of the Committee will be published immediately after this press conference.
I encourage every Ghanaian to read them.
Constitutional reform is not a single event but a continuing process, and the Constitution must remain a living document that responds to the needs and aspirations of each generation of Ghanaians.
The next phase of that process begins today.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media, First of all, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus would like to congratulate the Rt.
Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin on his election as Speaker of the Eighth (8) Parliament of the Fourth (4) Republic of Ghana.
We wish to affirm our unflinching support and continuous cooperation with him to enable him to succeed as Speaker.
We are firmly behind him and we wish him well.
We the NDC Caucus in Parliament have invited you here to address a few issues relating to the 8 Parliament.
You would recall that a week ago, on 7 January 2021 the Clerk to Parliament read a letter from the Electoral Commission.
The said correspondence indicated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has 137 seats, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) also has 137 seats and there is one Independent MP.
Thus: NDC - 137NPP - 137; and Independent - 1.
From that official correspondence from the Electoral Commission, clearly, neither the NDC nor the NPP has majority seats in Parliament.
The Fomena Independent MP On the issue of the Independent MP who has indicated that: "I shall for the purposes of transacting business in the house, associate with the NPP Caucus in the Eighth Parliament.
For the avoidance of doubt, I do hereby affirm that I shall cooperate and collaborate with the NPP Caucus in the Eighth Parliament".
I am sure he is mindful of article 97, clause (1)(h) of the 1992 Constitution which provides that: "A member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament if he was elected a Member of Parliament as an Independent Candidate and joins a Political Party."
So the question is, by that declaration, has the Hon.
Member for Fomena joined the NPP?
It was Nana Addo who said he could not work with an Independent MP.
It was the General-Secretary of the NPP who wrote to the former Speaker to have the then NPP-MP for Fomena expelled from Parliament.
It was former Speaker Oquaye who, on 7th November 2020 sacked the then NPP-MP for Fomena from Parliament.
Indeed, in his Statement sacking the then NPP- MP for Fomena from Parliament, former Speaker Oquaye, among others, quizzed as follows: "…How does an elected independent MP operate both as an elected Independent MP and at the same time, an NPP MP, if he should win the election?"
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have always said that consistency is important in our political discourse.
Is Nana Addo now willing to work with an Independent MP?
What is the position of the NPP General Secretary now?
And what about the ruling of former Speaker Oquaye?
I would, therefore, call on the NPP to reconcile their conflicting positions.
The Caucuses in Parliament Let me remind you that there is nothing like Majority Caucus or Minority Caucus in either the Standing Orders of Parliament or in the Constitution.
Indeed, official records of Parliament would simply record that NDC has 137 seats, NPP has 137 and there is I Independent MP.
No matter the declaration of such an Independent MP, the records will still reflect that there is an Independent MP in the 8" Parliament.
In recent past, Parliament has resorted to determining the composition of Committees by using the numeric strengths of what we term as Majority Side and Minority Side.
Hence, elected MPs from "smaller parties as well as Independent MPs were required to choose which Side they wanted to add to associate with or transact business with for purposes of determining which Side could have more members on each Committee of the House.
So, we saw how PNC, CPP, and Independent MPs were treated in previous Parliaments.
Composition of Committees of Parliament Ladies and Gentlemen, article 103, clause 5 of the 1992 Constitution and Order 154 of the Standing Orders of Parliament provide that: "The composition of the Committees shall, as much as possible, reflect the different shades of opinion in Parliament.
Is Parliament limiting different shades of opinion" to only numerical strengths?
We do not think so.
It is on this score that the NDC Caucus will insist that the composition of committees of this 8th Parliament should reflect its very current nature.
The composition should reflect beyond mere numbers and cover other factors including leadership of committees.
We know that besides the Committee on Selection, which is chaired by the Speaker, the Standing Orders of Parliament provides for 11 Standing Committees and 16 Select Committees.
Out of the 11 Standing Committees, the chairmanship of 7 are pre-determined by the Standing Orders.
Hon Speaker chairs the Committee on Selection (Order 151) and the Standing Orders Committee (Order 157).
The Appointments Committee and the Committee on Privileges are chaired by the First Deputy Speaker.
The Second Deputy Speaker chairs the Committee on Members Holding Office of Profit.
The Majority Leader chairs both the Business Committee (per Order 160) and the House Committee (per Order 168).
Per Order 168, the Public Accounts Committee should be chaired by a Member whose side does not control the Executive branch of Government.
The Standing Orders does not pre-determine the leadership of the remaining 4 Standing Committees, namely: Finance Committee, Committee on Gender and Children, Committee on Government Assurance and the Subsidiary Legislation Committee.
Similarly, the leadership of the 16 Select-Committees are not pre-determined by the Standing Orders.
The NDC Caucus shall therefore insist that in line with Order 154 of the Standing Orders of Parliament and Article 103 (5) of the 1992 Constitution, the composition of committees should reflect the nature and character of this very 8 Parliament.
The practice of making one side of the House chair all Select Committees is no longer tenable in the current dispensation.
Given the current numbers, there must be strict sharing of the leadership of the Select Committees by 3 the two sides of the House.
Out of the 16 Select Committees, the NDC should chair 8 while the NPP would also chair 8.
This would be a true reflection of the different shades of opinion in the current Parliament as envisaged in the 1992 Constitution under article 103 (5) and Order 154 of the Standing Orders of the House.
Indeed, regarding the other factors on reflecting the different shades of opinion in Parliament," we would implore on the leadership of both sides to endeavour to nominate qualified persons to serve on the committees while considering gender, age distribution, experience, regional balance, among other factors.
Major Reforms:- New Standing Orders - An Imperative Ghana has never experienced a Parliament with an equal number of seats on both sides.
There is, therefore, the need for the House to adopt new Standing Orders that will address the current nature and character of these 8 Parliament.
There is some work ongoing in that regard.
The House has no choice but to work with the current Standing Orders albeit with its deficiencies.
Conclusion Ladies and Gentlemen, without prejudice to the court cases that the NDC has commenced to reclaim the stolen parliamentary seats, particularly that of Techiman South, let us appreciate that the good people of Ghana voted for a particular nature of Parliament That Parliament has produced 137 seats each for both the NDC and the NPP and I independent MP.
We the NDC Caucus shall endeavour to do our best by providing the best of representation that reflects the sovereign will of our people.
It is a new dawn in parliamentary democracy in Ghana, therefore, we the elected representatives cannot afford to fail our people.
Long Live the great NDC!
Long Live parliamentary democracy.
Honourable Minister of Government Communications, Heads of Health Agencies and Partner Institutions, Friends from the Media, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning.
I am honoured to join you today to share an update on the remarkable progress made in Ghana’s health sector during the first half of 2025.
Ghana’s health sector remains a critical pillar of national development.
It underpins healthy communities, drives economic productivity, and helps realise our national vision for a prosperous Ghana.
When we took office, we inherited a Ministry of Health burdened with a staggering debt of nearly 12.68 billion Ghana cedis; this included unpaid bills to service providers, arrears to donor partners, and outstanding payments to contractors.
Despite this, we have not wavered in our commitment to deliver.
We also inherited the much-touted Agenda 111 programme, which, despite an investment of $344 million, had not completed and operationalised a single hospital.
Worse still, it left behind over 1 billion Ghana cedis in arrears for us to settle.
But we are not here to dwell on excuses.
We are here to deliver.
Our party promised bold and clear commitments to improve the health and well-being of all Ghanaians - and we are delivering on them.
We promised to: • Strengthen service delivery by expanding access to free, quality primary healthcare that prioritises disease prevention • Tackle non-communicable diseases through initiatives like the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares).
We also pledged to enhance leadership and governance by: • reforming health financing • developing local pharmaceutical production, and • Improving the management of our health institutions — steps we are actively implementing.
More importantly, we believe that compromising on the need for motivated and skilled health workers is not an option.
Therefore, we have promised and are implementing policies for their professional development.
Additionally, our investments in healthcare infrastructure, manufacturing, and traditional medical research are progressing well.
Ladies and gentlemen, by fulfilling these promises, we are building a healthier Ghana - one we are creating together, right now.
2 Our government, led by His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, remains firmly dedicated to providing quality and equitable healthcare for all in Ghana.
The Ministry of Health, responsible for executing the Government’s health agenda, oversees 26 agencies involved in health service delivery, regulation, training, and financing.
Today, I am pleased to share with you the highlights of our key achievements, aligned with our government’s health priorities, the challenges we face, and our plans that reflect the manifesto promises and national development priorities for achieving the SDG and UHC goals.
Health Financing Let me start with health financing.
One of our main commitments is to guarantee sustainable funding for the health sector.
Thanks to the visionary decision to uncap the National Health Insurance Levy, the NHIA’s revenue for 2025 has soared to an unprecedented 9.76 billion Ghana cedis compared to the previous capped budgetary allocation of 6.52 billion Ghana cedis in 2024 – a massive increase of 3.26 billion Ghana cedis.
This additional 3 funding is a game-changer, enabling the NHIS to expand coverage, enhance benefits, and strengthen Ghana’s progress towards achieving universal health coverage.
This is the government fulfilling its promise to prioritise the health of every citizen.
Furthermore, with the increased funding to the NHIS, we have increased allocations for claims payments from 56.2% in 2024 to 65% in 2025, and plan to increase to 75% by 2026.
As the fund grows, we ensure that every cedi reaches frontline services, providing quality care to all Ghanaians.
Not only have we uncapped the levy, but we have also been committed to releasing funds swiftly.
I am proud to announce that all NHIS claims arrears totalling GHS 603 million as of December 2024 have been fully settled.
This milestone demonstrates our government’s steadfast dedication to timely payments and fulfilling our obligations to healthcare providers.
In the first half of 2025 alone, the NHIA disbursed over GHS 1.38 billion to providers, reflecting a system that is stronger, more responsive, and more reliable than ever before.
This turnaround demonstrates that we are developing a health insurance scheme that benefits all Ghanaians.
4 Ladies and gentlemen, today, 15.67 million Ghanaians are enrolled in the NHIS - an increase of over 670,000 from last year.
What this means is that 670,000 more Ghanaians are now benefiting from health insurance coverage.
To address the declining funding of the health sector caused by the exit and budget cuts of development partners, following H.E.
John Mahama’s directive, we also quickly prioritised funds to fill the gaps.
Still on financing, we continue to collaborate with private partners to invest in healthcare infrastructure through PPP arrangements.
Currently, we have identified a partner conducting a nationwide assessment that will underpin our retooling agenda for health facilities.
Health Workforce Our biggest asset in healthcare is our people — the dedicated nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, pharmacists, and all supporting staff who serve Ghana every day.
We recognise the challenge of over 70,000 qualified health workers currently awaiting employment, but I want to assure you that we are 5 working tirelessly to clear this backlog.
In the past six months alone, we have successfully finalised the employment process of over 10,000 nurses and midwives, with many more to come.
I am proud to share that we have taken decisive steps to clear the salary arrears for 321 Pharmacist House Officers who completed training in 2024, with payments now being processed.
While 1,621 qualified pharmacists await permanent employment, we are prioritising their recruitment as part of strengthening our health workforce.
This is just one example of our broader commitment to clearing the backlog across all health worker cadres, ensuring every qualified professional has the chance to serve and strengthen Ghana’s health system.
To complement government recruitment, we are exploring managed migration and private sector options.
Regarding managed migration opportunities, over 13 countries have now expressed interest in recruiting Ghanaian health workers.
We are formulating policies to ensure these benefits are fairly distributed to both our health system and our professionals.
6 Furthermore, we are also investing heavily in their professional development and welfare to ensure a motivated and skilled workforce.
In this regard, the government has implemented Conditions of Service agreements with our health unions.
Also, in recognition of the skill gaps identified by our Health Labour Market Analysis, we are revamping the curricula at our training institutions to address population health needs, increasing intake for specialist nursing programmes, and transforming general nursing schools into specialised training centres.
We are indeed investing heavily in the next generation of health workers: - Over the past six months, we have guided more than 40 nursing, midwifery, and allied health colleges through the accreditation process to offer degree programmes alongside their existing diploma courses - a significant step forward for quality education.