1992 Constitution: Cause of weak regulatory state capacity

Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana Political Science Department Professor Joseph Atsu Ayee has attributed the cause of weak regulatory state capacity in the country to the 1992 Constitution.

Addressing the gathering at the 70th Annual New Year School and Conference by the University of Ghana is on the theme; Building Strong Institutions for Democratic Consolidation in Ghana, Prof Ayee said the 1992 Constitution of Ghana in spite of the progress is actually contributing to the woes of the country in terms of strong institutions.

According to him, constitution gives many powers to the president and that translate into the institutional levels.

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The state is unable to enforce rules and regulations Professor Ayee asserted. He said that the Electoral Commission, for instance, is unable to enforce its rules allowing political parties to start campaigning right after elections.

On gender equality, the lecturer chastised political parties for paying lip-service adding that the parties only give women insignificant positions.

Touching on the fight against corruption, Professor Ayee is calling on political parties to stop politicizing canker in order to help build trust and confidence of citizens in institutions.

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The Speaker of Parliament, Aaron Mike Ocquaye, called on the government to reserve one-third of local government slot at the district assembly to women as Ghana trail behind in a global representation of women.

After 70 years of shaping policy and setting the stage for constitutional democracy, the School opened on Monday, January 14, 2019 with a focus on strengthening state institutions for national development.

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It has been the case over the years for a galaxy of experts drawn from politics, academia, industry, regulatory agencies, local government and anti-corruption institutions to shine the spotlight on key national issues and seek to challenge the status quo.