Ghana Opens Top Public Offices to Dual Citizens, Keeps Presidency Exclusive

Ghana’s government has endorsed a landmark constitutional reform that would allow dual citizens to hold some of the country’s highest public offices, marking a significant shift in how the state engages its global diaspora while preserving the Presidency and Vice-Presidency as exclusive offices for sole Ghanaian citizens.

Under the government’s White Paper on the Constitutional Review Committee’s recommendations, Ghanaians by birth who also hold another nationality would no longer be required to renounce their foreign citizenship before contesting parliamentary elections. The reform would also remove dual citizenship as a disqualifying factor for appointments to key constitutional offices, including Chief Justice, Speaker of Parliament and Chairperson of the Electoral Commission.

Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dr Dominic Ayine, unveiling the White Paper in Accra on Thursday, argued that the existing restrictions no longer reflect the realities of an increasingly interconnected world or Ghana’s growing reliance on its diaspora for investment, expertise and national development.

“The current disqualification sits uneasily with our engagement with the diaspora and with the realities of modern citizenship,” he said.

The proposed reforms stop short of opening the country’s highest executive offices. The President and Vice President would remain constitutionally required to hold only Ghanaian citizenship, preserving what the government sees as an essential safeguard over national sovereignty and executive authority.

The proposal represents one of the most consequential governance reforms contained in the Constitutional Review White Paper, reflecting an effort to modernise eligibility rules for public office while expanding opportunities for Ghanaians abroad to participate directly in national leadership.

If approved through Ghana’s constitutional amendment process, the reform could broaden the pool of talent available for public service, strengthen links with the diaspora and reshape the country’s political landscape by removing one of the most persistent legal barriers facing dual nationals.

The recommendations will, however, require the prescribed constitutional amendment procedures before they can become law.