I am about to outline, for your easy understanding, the 10 most important functions of the executive president of Ghana under the 1992 fourth republican constitution.
I am still waiting for that great day when Ghana will have her very first woman president.
Introduction
The 1992 constitution of Ghana provides for a monocephalous executive headed by a president who is both head of state and head of government. Individuals who have so far occupied this position under the 1992 Fourth Republican Constitution are Flt.Lt. J.J. Rawlings, J.A. Kuffuor, Prof. J.E.A. Mills, John Dramani Mahama, and Nana Akuffo Addo.
Functions of the president of Ghana
1. The president under the 1992 constitution of Ghana appoints her or his ministers and their deputies. These ministers are appointed from within or outside parliament.
2. As head of government, the president under the 1992 constitution of Ghana chooses his cabinet and presides over cabinet meetings. He reserves the right to reshuffle his cabinet or remove any minister from that position when he chooses.
3. The president of Ghana formulates and implements government policies.
4. The Ghanaian president going by the provisions of the 1992 constitution and acting in consultation with the Council of State, exercises the power of prerogative of mercy. This refers to the power to pardon convicted offenders.
5. The president of Ghana, acting in consultation with the Council of State, also makes appointments to top public positions in the country. These include the Chief Justice and other judges of the superior court, the Electoral Commission, the National Commission for Civic Education, Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund, Auditor – General, Public Services Commission and so on.
6. The president of Ghana is also constitutionally mandated to deliver an address on the state of the nation to parliament at the beginning of each parliamentary session.
7. The president of Ghana is again authorized under the 1992 fourth republican constitution to sign bills passed by parliament for them to become law.
8. The president under the fourth republican constitution of Ghana serves as the commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed forces. This means that he can deploy the Ghana Armed Forces to undertake any mission for the defence of the territorial integrity of the country or for other purposes he deems fit.
9. The president of Ghana is also the chairman of the National Security Council. He takes steps to ensure that there is absolute security for people to freely go about their normal activities.
10. In international relations, the 1992 constitution of Ghana empowers the president to direct Ghana’s foreign policy. In other words, the president of Ghana shapes the country’s posture in her dealings with other countries and organizations.
In so doing, he must appoint ambassadors to represent Ghana abroad. He also receives foreign envoys, signs treaties with other nations, and attends conferences and summits of heads of state and government.
Thank you!
