IEA lectures on constitutional reform: Student leaders take turn

Representatives of university students in the country will today take their turn at the Institute of Economic Affairs’ (IEA) ongoing lectures on constitutional reform.

It is to afford the students the opportunity to share their views on the constitutional reforms proposals.

There would be seven student leaders as panellists, who would make presentations together with other discussants.

They are a former General Secretary of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Julius Kwame Anthony; the President of the Student Representative Council (SRC) of the Ghana School of Law, Odupong Agyapong Atta-Agyepong; the University of Ghana SRC President, Martin Gyasi Boakye; the University of Cape Coast SRC President, Latif Lawrence Jorhowie and the University of Professional Studies, Accra, SRC Vice-President, Michael Acquah.

The rest are a former NUGS Secretary for Union Development, Ewoenam Amenu Yakor, and a former University Students Association of Ghana (USAG) Legal Advisor, Gloria Korankyewaa Nyarko.

Statement

A statement issued by the IEA to announce today’s lecture series to be held at 2pm, said areas to be discussed include youth unemployment and issues that affect the socio-economic development of the country.

Others are the constitutional arrangements to promote accountability, anti-corruption, good governance, checks and balances.

It said students have been vocal in the country and the lecture would provide the opportunity for them to express their views on constitutional change. 

Previous speakers 

Already, the statement said, a number of institutions and persons have had the opportunity to present their viewpoints on the Constitution of Ghana. 

They included former President John Agyekum Kufuor; a former Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye; a former Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, and the Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.

Others are a former Minority Leader, Haruna Idrissu; a Council of State Member, Sam Okudzeto; a Constitutional expert and lawyer, Nana Dr S.K.B. Asante, and a former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Justice Emile Short.

The rest are a former Chief Justice of The Gambia and retired Supreme Court Judge of Ghana, Justice Alan Brobbey, as well as the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu.

The statement said it was now the turn of the youth, the future leaders and notable stakeholders of the future, to share their views.

It said in the coming days, former President John Dramani Mahama would also take his turn.

Latif Lawrence Jorhowie, Martin Gyasi Boakye, Michael Acquah and Odupong Agyapong Atta-Agyepong

Contribution of students to politics

The statement acknowledged the contribution of students to politics in the country before, during, and after Independence. 

It cited some instance in London, where the famous West Africa Students Union (WASU), which  was a focal point for Ghanaian students abroad, played a leading role in the independence struggle, with Dr J.B. Danquah and Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah as leaders.

WASU was at that time a point for discussion and debate, as well as positive preparation for leadership in Ghana and other African states. 

Locally, it said, the Ashanti Youth Association, the Catholic Youth Organisation and a number of satellite youth organisations had also played a positive roles in the Nkrumah administration. 

The statement said during the I.K. Acheampong’s regime, with increasing authoritarian rule, students together with professional bodies staged a revolution that brought the regime to an end. 

It stated that students equally supported the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) in working out the cocoa evacuation and other initiatives by the government, but took a principal stand later, demanding constitutional rule.