Presidential Transition: Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu Advocates Stronger Handover Planning

Former Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has called for urgent reforms to the country’s presidential transition architecture, to protect the State against partisan disruption and institutional memory loss.

He argues that “A well-managed transition, distinguished colleagues, is far more than a bureaucratic changing of the guard. It is the defining act of democratic self-preservation. It is the ultimate expression of faith that the institutions of the state are greater than the personalities who temporarily occupy them.”

Ghana’s journey, from the administrative chaos of 2008 to the passage of Act 845, according to the former Majority leader, is a testament to our learning capacity. But our architectural project is far from complete. The transition process is no longer about whether we obey the law, but how well we enforce it, how comprehensively we resource it, and how seriously we treat the institutional work of continuity.

“It is incumbent upon us, the custodians of this democratic experiment, to ensure that the architecture of our Executive, our ultimate load-bearing wall, is robust enough to carry the weight of the Republic across every electoral divide, ensuring that the ship of state sails smoothly onward, regardless of who is at the helm,” he urged.

Delivering a public lecture at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) last week, the veteran legislator, now outside Parliament, spoke on the theme: “Presidential Transitions: Comparing Practices from Ghana and Other Jurisdictions.” The event formed part of the Academy’s series on Navigating Political Transitions in Ghana.

Drawing lessons from other countries, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu warned, in a frank address, that a peaceful election alone does not guarantee democratic stability, but that the architecture of transition must also function effectively.

“A transition is the most delicate test of the State,” he said, adding that “It must ensure the State does not stall, authority transfers lawfully, records are protected, and national security remains intact.”

He recounted the dramatic events of January 6, 2021, when both the U.S. Capitol and Ghana’s Parliament experienced chaos during transitions, noting that “even mature democracies are vulnerable when institutional architecture is weak.”

The former Majority Leader traced Ghana’s transition challenges to gaps in the 1992 Constitution, including decades of military interventions that interrupted predictable handovers. He praised the passage of the Presidential Transition Act (Act 845) in 2012, but said it remains incomplete.

Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu urged Ghana to move from “laws on paper to laws in practice,” stressing that national memory must be protected from political turnover.

He commended GAAS for inviting voices across the political divide, saying it reflects “a higher civic ideal, the refusal to discard compatriots on the other side.”

The lecture formed part of ongoing national reflections as Ghana prepares for future political transitions, including the possibility of a change in administration in January 2025.