Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has called for a stronger separation of powers within Ghana’s governance system, arguing that the executive arm of government must be more accountable to Parliament.
Speaking in an interview on the The AM Show, the former leader emphasised the need for reforms that would enable the legislature to fully exercise its role as the representative of the people.
According to him, the Parliament of Ghana should play a central role in controlling the country’s finances and ensuring proper oversight of government policies.
“The legislature should be the people’s representatives — there to control the budget, the purse of the state,” Kufuor said. “The executive should seek authorisation from the legislature to make the budget to run the government.”
The former president explained that the current governance framework under the 1992 Constitution of Ghana does not sufficiently separate the powers of the executive and the legislature.
He expressed particular concern about the constitutional provision that allows the president to appoint ministers directly from Parliament.
According to Kufuor, this arrangement blurs the line between the two arms of government and weakens the ability of Parliament to independently scrutinise the executive branch.
He argued that in a well-functioning democratic system, the executive should develop policies and budgets and then present them to the legislature for approval on behalf of citizens.
In his view, Parliament should not merely endorse decisions that have already been made by the executive.
Debates over the structure of Ghana’s governance system have persisted for many years, with several public figures advocating reforms to strengthen democratic accountability.
Among those who previously raised similar concerns was former President Jerry John Rawlings, who also called for reforms aimed at improving governance and accountability.
Kufuor, who served as president of Ghana from 2001 to 2009 under the New Patriotic Party (NPP), said enhancing the independence of Parliament would help deepen the country’s democratic system.
He stressed that empowering the legislature to effectively oversee government spending and policies would ultimately strengthen transparency, accountability and good governance in Ghana.
