Constitutionalism

A basis for ensuring participation in governance is when citizens know about the supreme law of the land - the Constitution - and are able to utilise its provisions to the best of their abilities.

Research - that tests the basic knowledge of people at all level of society's strata has been carried out in Ghana. About 2000 questions were administered to citizens in affluent and less affluent communities, workers at the markets, state agencies and private organisations amongst other interviewed on provisions on the constitution that touched on fundamental human rights and freedoms of the citizens. The research also sought to enquire how well people knew about state agencies such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice.

Publication - Several academicians from across West Africa, that is, from Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Ghana are looking at the primary data collected, and specific constitutional provisions including the role of women in constitution making and the protection offered to women within the Constitution of Ghana, right to information in Sierra Leone, and the concept of constitutionalism. Each paper provides a comparative analysis with other countries in the sub-region drawing out lessons learnt that will inform future work within Africa.

Workshops - Two workshops will be held in Sierra Leone/The Gambia and Ghana to disseminate findings of the research and to share lessons with other commonwealth countries. Persons with intimate knowledge and experience in African Constitutionalism will take part in the workshops.