The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has rejected proposals to allow Ghanaian dual citizens to contest parliamentary elections and hold public positions, describing the move as a “direct assault on genuine citizenship.”
The TUC said the proposal, contained in the recommendations of the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) and accepted by the government, was contradictory, unfair, and served no useful purpose for the country.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, TUC Secretary General Joshua Ansah said the union also opposed ongoing legislative efforts to allow dual citizens to hold public positions, except the offices of President and Vice President.
“The TUC disagrees totally with the recommendation by the CRC and the government’s acceptance of it, as well as the current legislative processes on the matter of dual citizenship,” Mr. Ansah said.
The TUC’s objection centres partly on what it considers an unfair distinction between dual citizens and other Ghanaians seeking elected office.
Mr. Ansah pointed to the CRC’s recommendation that teachers and other public servants must resign from their positions at least one year before contesting parliamentary elections.
“It is strange for the CRC to recommend that a teacher in the Ghana Education Service (GES) who is serving Ghana in a deprived community must resign a full year before he or she can contest parliament elections, but a dual citizen does not have to resign their other citizenship,” he said.
“This is the contradiction and the unfairness. We must not constitutionalize this unfairness. The current arrangement must remain,” he added.
Under the existing constitutional arrangement, certain public offices are restricted to Ghanaians who do not hold the citizenship of another country. The CRC recommended an amendment to Article 94(2)(a) to allow dual citizens to contest parliamentary elections and become Members of Parliament while retaining their citizenship of another country.
The government has accepted the recommendation, and Parliament is currently considering changes that would extend eligibility for public positions to dual citizens while maintaining the restriction on the presidency and vice presidency.
The TUC said it was opposed to both the CRC recommendation and the government’s position.
The union’s position forms part of its broader response to proposals arising from the review of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
At the same press briefing, the TUC backed a number of proposed constitutional changes, including limiting the President’s appointment powers and preventing Ministers of State from simultaneously serving as Members of Parliament.
On the latter, Mr. Ansah argued that Ghana’s current practice of having ministers serve concurrently as MPs had weakened parliamentary oversight and increased executive dominance over the legislature.
“The uniquely Ghanaian hybrid system has weakened parliamentary oversight and occasioned executive dominance of the legislation. It has also weakened accountability,” he said.
