Accra: In a swift and decisive response to the African Chamber of Content Producers' (ACCP) petition for mandatory constitutional literacy in basic education, President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Ministry of Education to review the petition and take appropriate action. The directive was in a formal letter signed by Dr. Callistus Mahama, Secretary to the President, dated July 2, 2026, and addressed to the Minister of Education.
According to Ghana News Agency, a statement copied to the agency in Accra said the letter, which was also sent to the ACCP Secretariat, acknowledged receipt of the petition submitted on June 25, 2026, and instructed the Ministry to act accordingly. The President's response comes just one week after the ACCP submitted the petition, which called for the introduction of compulsory constitutional literacy into Ghana's basic education curriculum. The petition argued that the foundational legal principle 'ignorance of the law is no excuse' must be matched by a corresponding duty of the state to ensure that every citizen is taught the supreme law that governs them.
The ACCP's secretariat emphasized that their petition was based on extensive research conducted across prisons, schools, and communities in Ghana and other African countries. The findings revealed a troubling reality: most Ghanaians complete their basic education without ever reading the Constitution, yet they can be arrested and imprisoned for violating laws they were never taught. In interviews with several inmates across Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, the ACCP found that more than 50 percent of inmates said they did not know their action was illegal at the time of the offense. Only 10 percent said they knew it was a crime and committed it anyway. Surveys showed that over 60% of junior high students had never been taught about their country's constitution, and more than 70% of adults had never read any part of it.
The ACCP Secretariat expressed gratitude to President Mahama for his responsiveness to a matter affecting every citizen. Nana Dwomoh-Doyen Benjamin, President of the ACCP, praised the President's quick action. 'We are immensely grateful that President Mahama is a listening president, one who is ready to act in the interest of the state and its people,' he stated. David Adofo, Head of Research and Development at the ACCP, reiterated the Chamber's core philosophy, emphasizing the importance of legal knowledge as part of education.
Mr. Mawuko Kuadzi, an Africa Image Ambassador of the ACCP, also expressed gratitude, stating that the President's decision gives hope to every Ghanaian and African child. He pledged to use his platform to champion this advocacy and to assist the President in his broader AU advocacy on the subject.
The ACCP's petition proposes five concrete reforms: mandatory constitutional literacy curriculum for all basic, junior, and senior high school students; making constitutional and civic knowledge an examinable subject at the BECE and WASSCE levels; producing plain-language, illustrated versions of the Constitution for students; establishing an annual National Constitutional Literacy Day; and increasing budgetary allocation for school outreach and educational materials. The ACCP has offered its expertise to help implement the reforms.
The Ministry of Education is now expected to review the petition and develop an implementation plan. The ACCP has indicated its readiness to collaborate with the Ministry and other stakeholders to ensure the successful rollout of the proposed reforms.