Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has urged the reconstitution of Ghana’s Council of State, arguing that restructuring the body could enhance transparency and improve the quality of public appointments.
While acknowledging that the council is made up of distinguished individuals, Mr. Kufuor noted that its deliberations are often held behind closed doors. As a result, the public may never know when key advice offered to the president is rejected.
To address this, he proposed the creation of what he described as a “house of wisdom and experience,” composed of respected figures from key national institutions.
“I would rather have a second house, as I am advocating, made up of institutions like traditional authorities, the house of chiefs, religious bodies, trade unions, academia, and individuals who have served the public with distinction, such as former Chief Justices, former IGPs, and former CDS,” he said.
Speaking in an interview with Joy News, Mr. Kufuor suggested that this body should comprise between 50 and 60 members. He added that it would be tasked with vetting nominees for key public offices to ensure that appointments are based on merit.
“When they sail through their vetting within such a body, publicly, and the house operates openly, I believe we will get far better quality than we are seeing so far,” he said.
He emphasized that the proposed chamber would function objectively, remain non-partisan, and help temper the excesses of democracy while guiding national decision-making.
“To the advice, the house will also debate all public issues. Its purpose is not to undermine democracy—the legislature is the house of democracy—but to temper its excesses,” he added.
