Centre for Democratic Development — Civil society organisation conducting research and advocacy on Ghana's democratic institutions, anti-corruption frameworks, free speech, electoral reform, and governance.
… Programme Officer at CDD-Ghana, Joseph Oti Frimpong, has warned that the growing role of money in elections risks undermining the credibility of Ghana’s electoral process. …
The Director of the Democracy Project at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr John Osae-Kwapong, has urged the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to establish clear guidelines to manage growing political ambitions and tensions within the party. …
The Director of the Democracy Project at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr John Osae-Kwapong, has cautioned that the growing public tension within the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) could become a major distraction to the government if it is not …
The Director of the Democracy Project at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr John Osae-Kwapong, has described the growing public tension within the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) as a “worrying development” if it is allowed to intensify and oversha …
The Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Kojo Pumpuni Asante, has expressed concern over what he describes as a growing pattern of arrests connected to alleged free speech violations in Ghana. …
Senior Research Officer at CDD-Ghana, Dr Kojo Pumpuni Asante, says the growing debate over speech regulation in Ghana reflects a wider global struggle to balance free expression with accountability and public safety. …
Senior Research Officer at CDD-Ghana, Kojo Pumpuni Asante, says Ghana must carefully balance the protection of free speech with growing concerns about accountability and security in the digital age. …
The Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has described the Supreme Court’s decision to admit 14 civil society organisations as friends of the court in the case challenging the constitutionality of the Office of the Specia …
The Steering Committee of the Citizens' Platform on Constitutional Reform has urged President John Mahama and the Government to formally present a clear roadmap with defined timelines for the review of Ghana's 1992 Constitution. The Platform intends to request consultations with key national stakeholders, including the President and parliamentary leadership, to discuss the next phase of the reform process, more than four months after the Constitution Review Committee submitted its full report to the President in January 2026.
Why it matters
Citizens' Platform presses government for a formal constitutional reform roadmap with timelines—fundamental governance accountability issue after months of delay.
The Steering Committee of the Citizens' Platform on Constitutional Reform has urged President John Mahama and the Government to formally present a clear roadmap with defined timelines for the review of Ghana's 1992 Constitution. The Platform intends to request consultations with key national stakeholders, including the President and parliamentary leadership, to discuss the next phase of the reform process, more than four months after the Constitution Review Committee submitted its full report to the President in January 2026.
A coalition of 14 Civil Society Organisations has appealed to Ghana's Supreme Court to affirm the constitutionality of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, describing it as vital to the country's anti-corruption framework. The court is set to deliver judgment on July 29, 2026, in the case *Adamtey v. Attorney-General*, which challenges the legality of the law establishing the OSP.
Civil society organisations are pushing for major reforms to Ghana's electoral system, including a model law and independent regulator for campaign financing. According to CDD-Ghana, a draft model law aims to address gaps in the current framework—which largely regulates political parties but lacks spending limits—and to level the playing field for women, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised groups disadvantaged by high campaign costs.
Dr John Osae-Kwapong, Director of the Democracy Project at the Centre for Democratic Development, has urged the NDC leadership to establish guidelines to manage growing political ambitions and tensions within the party, so the Mahama administration can remain focused on governance.
A Centre for Democratic Development director has cautioned that growing public tensions within the NDC — including friction between Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu and National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah — could distract the government from critical policy implementation if internal rivalries spill over publicly.
The Director of the Democracy Project at CDD-Ghana has described growing public tension within the NDC as a "worrying development" if allowed to intensify, cautioning that prolonged internal divisions could distract the government and affect public confidence in the administration. His comments follow a reported strained relationship and recent exchange of words between Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu and National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah.
The Centre for Democratic Development's Director of Advocacy has expressed concern over a growing pattern of arrests connected to alleged free speech violations in Ghana, warning that such prosecutions could set a dangerous precedent affecting journalists, commentators, and ordinary citizens. His remarks follow the arrest of NPP Bono Regional Chairman Kwame Baffoe under charges of offensive conduct.
A senior researcher at CDD-Ghana cautions against broad attempts to criminalise speech, noting that Ghana's 2001 repeal of criminal libel laws was meant to limit circumstances for criminal sanctions, amid rising political tensions over the Mahama administration's alleged suppression of dissent and arrests of political opponents and critics.
A CDD-Ghana senior research officer says Ghana must carefully balance protection of free speech with concerns about accountability and security in the digital age, citing the rise of misinformation and harmful speech on digital platforms as complicating the debate around speech regulation.
Ghana's Supreme Court has admitted 14 civil society organisations as friends of the court in a case challenging the constitutionality of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act. CDD-Ghana's director said the move is important because both the applicant and Attorney General held similar positions, leaving the court without an alternative perspective on the constitutional issues.
A CDD-Ghana official called for major investment in Ghana's healthcare system following an investigative report into engineer Charles Amissah's death, which concluded he died from delayed emergency care and medical neglect rather than his initial accident injuries.
CDD-Ghana's Abena Addo alleges that medical negligence continues to claim lives every day across the country, with cases of poor emergency response and inadequate medical care found in hospital records nationwide. She cited 29-year-old Charles Amissah's death in February following a hit-and-run accident as an example that gained national attention, but argued his case is not unique.
A public health expert at the Centre for Democratic Development has backed the Health Minister's directive to implement recommendations from an investigation into Charles Amissah's death, saying it should address systemic, human, and technical failures in Ghana's healthcare system rather than serve only as punishment.
CDD-Ghana and the Office of the Special Prosecutor held a regional dialogue in Kumasi where stakeholders called for strengthening the OSP to fight corruption more effectively. Participants, including civil society organisations and policymakers, reviewed an eight-year assessment report and identified concerns including the OSP's lack of constitutional entrenchment, funding constraints, and capacity gaps.
Participants at a CDD-Ghana and Office of the Special Prosecutor dialogue in Sunyani have called on the government to extend OSP operations across the regions to address corruption at the local level, and urged the Attorney General to impose custodial sentences on public officials who embezzle state funds rather than relying on plea bargaining.
Prof. Kwame Karikari, former Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, has warned African journalists to expand their coverage beyond domestic party politics and scrutinise foreign interests shaping the continent's economic, political and security future, arguing that journalism must serve as a democratic safeguard and source of accountability.
CDD-Ghana's regional media training examined how false information spreads in West Africa through foreign and domestic actors, digital platforms, AI tools, and coordinated propaganda campaigns designed to distort facts and influence democratic discourse.
A senior academic at the Centre for Democratic Development has warned that six in every ten Ghanaian children are facing serious education challenges, citing inequality, poor learning outcomes, weak policy choices and neglect of vulnerable communities as drivers of what he describes as a national emergency.