Akufo-Addo, Speaker, CJ to speak at GIMPA law conference on 30 years of 1992 Constitution
President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban S.K. Bagbin and the Chief Justice of the Republic, Justice Anin Yeboah will take turns to address the 2023 edition of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) law conference.
The law conference is themed: “The 1992 Constitution @ 30: Taking Stock, Assessing Progress and Reflecting on the Future”. It will take place over a period of three days, starting on the 14th through to the 16th of March 2023.
Essentially, the conference is to provide a platform for discussions relating to the 1992 Fourth Republican Constitution of Ghana, thirty years after its adoption by the people of Ghana.
Conference rationale/speakers
Confirming the upcoming conference, Dean of the GIMPA law faculty, Dr. Kwaku Agyeman-Budu noted that “the 1992 Constitution has been Ghana’s longest lasting Constitution and even though democratic rule under this current Constitution has not been a panacea to all our problems and challenges, it has nonetheless given us the most stable period in our political history”.
“7th January this year was exactly thirty (30) years since the coming into force of the 1992 Constitution, under which we have had eight (8) general elections, leading to the handing over of power from one democratically elected government to another on three (3) different occasions, that is, in 2001, 2009 and 2017” Dr Agyeman-Budu said.
“His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana is the Keynote Speaker at the Opening Ceremony of the conference on Tuesday 14th March 2023 at 9:00 am at the GB Auditorium at GIMPA.
“We are also expecting the Rt. Hon. Alban S.K. Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament and His Lordship Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, Chief Justice of Ghana to be the Main Speakers on the 15th and 16th of March respectively” he added.
Pivotal areas of interest
The Conference according to Dr. Agyeman-Budu, will provide an opportunity for all key stakeholders of Ghana’s constitutional dispensation “to meet in a collegial environment and share, debate and interrogate their ideas leading to concrete resolutions and proposals with regard to the future of the 1992 Constitution, thirty (30) years after its adoption”.
“To this end, some of the issues to be discussed will include, but are not limited to, the following; A critical examination of the constitution review commission report of 2011 and the Government White Paper of 2012, supremacy of the constitution, interpretation, enforcement and defence of the constitution and structure of the governance system.
“Other areas of possible consideration will be citizenship, fundamental human rights and freedoms and constitutional rights, reviewing the mandates of independent constitutional bodies, financial management under the constitution, local government and decentralization, indemnity provisions of the Constitution, among others” Dr Agyeman-Budu indicated.
Panel discussions
As part of the three-day programme, there will be panel discussions on several topics. The first panel will look at the topic; “Thirty Years of Multi-Party Democracy: Challenges and Prospects”.
It will be moderated by Dr. Enam Antonio, a Lecturer at the GIMPA Faculty of Law. The panelists include Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, Executive Director, CDD, Mr Dennis Adjei Dwommoh, Managing Attorney, Law Plus, Mr Nicholas Lenin Anane, Lawyer, Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co.
Panel two and three (concurrent panels) will consider The Economy and Financial Management in Ghana since 1993 and impact of the 1992 Constitution on the Socio-Economic Development of Ghana.
Panel two will be moderated by Mr Ferdinand Adadzi, Senior Lecturer, GIMPA Faculty and the panel members will include Mr Clement Kojo Akapame, Senior Lecturer, GIMPA Faculty of Law, Dr Stephen Amoah, Member of Parliament, Nyiaeso Constituency, Mr Jesse Heymann, Associate, Koranteng & Koranteng Legal Advisors.
Panel three will be moderated by Dr Kwabena Oteng Acheampong, Lecturer, GIMPA Faculty of Law with Mr Reginald Nii Odoi, Assistant State Attorney, Office of the Attorney General & Ministry of Justice, Mr Edmund Nelson Amasah, Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Mr Alexander Hackman-Aidoo, Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Coast and Diana Asonaba Dapaah, Deputy Attorney General & Deputy Minister of Justice of Ghana, as members of the panel.
Other experts in various fields will join the discussion to look at other topics such as “Parliament is a Master of its own Rules, but the Constitution is a Master of all Rules: An Examination of the decision in the Justice Abdulai versus The Attorney-General case”, and Management of Natural Resources under the 1992 Constitution.
Other topics that will be up for discussion during days two and three of the conference are; Women’s Rights and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Constitutional Review and Amendment of the 1992 Constitution, Interpretation and enforcement of the 1992 Constitution, and Contribution of the Judiciary to Constitutional development since 1993.