Council of State a useless institution – Prof. Gyampo

The Council of State has often been discussed as useless, especially when proposals to amend or repeal the 1992 Constitution have been made.

Articles 89 to 92 of Ghana's 1992 Constitution established the Council of State by stating that "There shall be a Council of State to counsel the President in the performance of his functions". However, the President is free to accept or reject the Council's recommendations.

Huge sums of money are used to pay their ex-gratia and allowances while they have no influence on government affairs.

Prof Ransford Gyampo of the University of Ghana on Monday, 20 March 2023, said the Council's method of constitution was flawed.

He argued that the president shouldn't have a say in who sits on the council.

Using the example of chieftaincy in traditional culture to compare the institution, the professor claimed that chiefs were always born because of the presence of a council, which gave the council the authority to retaliate whenever the chief did something wrong.

He spoke to Captain Smart on Onua TV/FM.