Sophia Akuffo calls for stronger limits on presidential powers
Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has called for stronger constitutional safeguards to prevent excessive concentration of power in the hands of Ghana’s President.
She said although the President must have sufficient authority to govern effectively, such powers must be subject to clearly defined constitutional limits.
“Presidents should have powers, but they cannot be unfettered powers,” she said.
According to Madam Akuffo, Ghana’s democratic system needs stronger checks and balances to ensure that none of the three arms of government exercises power without adequate oversight.
She said clearer enforcement of the separation of powers would contribute to strengthening democratic governance and accountability.
Madam Akuffo also noted that more than three decades of implementing the 1992 Constitution had exposed weaknesses and anomalies that needed to be addressed through reforms.
She said correcting those shortcomings was necessary to make Ghana’s democracy more sustainable and restore public confidence in the constitutional system.
“In many ways, our Constitution has worked out for us over the years of its existence; it has created a lot of anomalies which we must correct to move our democracy on to the next level for sustainability because people are getting fed up,” she said.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, Madam Akuffo, who is also a Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), said constitutional reforms should introduce stronger safeguards around presidential authority while improving checks and balances among the three arms of government.
Source:myjoyonline.com
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