The government has formally accepted landmark proposals to introduce constitutional caps on both the size of Parliament and the number of ministerial appointments, marking a sweeping attempt to curb public expenditure and deepen democratic inclusion across Ghana.
Presenting the government’s official White Paper on the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) on Thursday, 30 July 2026, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, unveiled key structural reforms designed to overhaul the country’s governance framework.
Under the accepted parliamentary reforms, the total number of Lawmakers will be constitutionally restricted to a maximum of 300 members.
The proposed arrangement retains the existing 276 constituency-based seats, while creating a fresh 24-seat proportional representation system specifically aimed at bringing marginalized groups into the legislative fold.
Explaining the blueprint, Dr Ayine highlighted that the reserved slots would target women, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and the youth to address long-standing gaps in political participation.
“The government has accepted that the size of Parliament be capped and we propose a ceiling of 300 members. The current membership of Parliament is 276 and so these will be elected directly in constituency elections like we already have and the remaining 24 will be elected or selected through proportional representation among women, persons with disabilities and the youth,” Dr Ayine stated.
He further noted, “An independent study will be commissioned into the design of the proportional representation element. Capping Parliament saves cost and the reserve element opens the doors of our legislature wider to those that our politics have historically kept outside.”
Alongside the legislative ceiling, the government has endorsed the principle of limiting executive appointments, opting to entrench a strict upper limit of 60 ministers into the Constitution.
While the CRC had originally recommended a tighter limit of 57 ministers, the administration settled on a slightly higher threshold, stressing that the provision will firmly bind all future executive heads.
“Government has accepted the proposal to cap the number of ministers. But instead of 57, as the committee recommended, the government is proposing that it should be capped at 60,” the Attorney General disclosed.
He stressed the legal permanence of the measure, adding: “So it will be put into the Constitution that the number of ministers that any president elected by the sovereign people of this country can appoint will be only 60.”
The proposed constitutional amendment is also set to grant future heads of state full flexibility in constructing their cabinets, as presidents will no longer be mandated to draw their ministerial nominees from within Parliament.
