President John Dramani Mahama has voiced his support for constitutional reforms that would allow dual citizens to serve as members of parliament and ministers of state, telling Ghanaians living in the United Kingdom that the country must do more to harness the potential of its overseas community.
Speaking at a Diaspora Town Hall Meeting in London on Sunday, May 31, 2026, President Mahama said that legislation currently before Parliament seeks to remove restrictions that bar dual citizens from holding key public offices.
“We currently have legislation before Parliament to review the 1992 Constitution to allow Ghanaians in the diaspora who hold other passports or dual passports to be able to participate in our politics at parliamentary and ministerial level,” he said.
The Constitution of Ghana (Amendment) Bill, 2025, proposes to lift restrictions on dual citizens seeking appointment to offices, including Ambassador or High Commissioner, Secretary to Cabinet, Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, and the Inspector-General of Police. The bill has had its First Reading and has been referred to Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee.
President Mahama said the reforms were part of a broader effort to formally recognise the diaspora’s role in national life, describing overseas Ghanaians as Ghana’s “17th region.”
“We have 16 physical regions in Ghana, but we have one virtual region, which is our diaspora abroad,” he said.
He noted that remittances from Ghanaians abroad reached approximately US$7.8 billion last year, underscoring the diaspora’s significant economic contribution.
The President said he privately refers to the proposed reforms as the “Gyakye Quayson law”, in reference to Assin North MP and Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister James Gyakye Quayson, whose election to Parliament triggered prolonged legal and political disputes over his citizenship status.
“I privately call it the Gyakye Quayson law because of the tribulations this man went through,” he said.
Mr Quayson, who addressed the gathering before the President, urged diaspora Ghanaians to take the government’s vision of treating them as full partners in national development seriously.
“I was like one of you not too long ago,” he said. “Let’s take this business of calling the diaspora the 17th region very seriously.”
Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland, Sabah Zita Benson, also called for deeper engagement between the state and Ghanaians abroad, describing the diaspora as central to the country’s development agenda.
The question of dual citizenship and public office has been debated in Ghana for years. Proponents argue that the country stands to gain from the skills and international experience of Ghanaians abroad, while critics contend that issues of loyalty and national security require careful consideration. The London town hall signalled that the Mahama administration intends to push the matter toward resolution.
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