Coalition urges Government to publish a clear roadmap and timelines for implementation, warning that Ghana cannot afford to delay environmental governance reforms amid escalating ecological challenges.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Ghana’s Environment and Natural Resources Sector have welcomed key recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee (CRC) aimed at strengthening environmental governance and ensuring the sustainable management of the country’s natural resources.
Meeting under the auspices of the Citizens’ Platform on Constitutional Reform (CPCR), the CSOs endorsed several proposals in the CRC’s report, Transforming Ghana: From Electoral Democracy to Developmental Democracy. These include recognising that natural resources should be held in trust for present and future generations, strengthening accountability in resource governance, and recognising ecocide as a constitutional offence.
The coalition also highlighted critical gaps that require further attention, including the need to protect environmental defenders, adopt the polluter-pays principle, and establish a specialised Environmental and Natural Resources Court.
Given the growing threats posed by illegal mining, forest loss, and environmental degradation, the CSOs are urging Government to publish the full CRC report and provide a clear roadmap and timelines for implementing the constitutional reform process.
The coalition reaffirmed its readiness to support civic education and technical work to ensure that environmental considerations and the voices of affected communities remain central to Ghana’s constitutional reform agenda.
Read the full statement below/download the statement here:
