MP files private member bill for the amendment of dual citizenship restriction
The bill seeks to enable such persons to be able to hold positions such as High Commissioner or Ambassador, Secretary to Cabinet, Chief of Defence Staff, Inspector General of Police, Director of Immigration, and Member of Parliament etc.
The Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, has filed a private member’s bill to amend the dual citizenship restriction on various officeholders.
The Bill, titled; Citizenship Amendment Bill was presented by the legislator on October 28, 2021, on the floor of Parliament.
If passed, the bill will amend the Constitutional provision to remove the restriction placed on persons with dual Citizenship relative to their inability to hold certain public offices in Ghana.
The bill seeks to enable such persons to be able to hold positions such as High Commissioner or Ambassador, Secretary to Cabinet, Chief of Defence Staff, Inspector General of Police, Director of Immigration, and Member of Parliament etc.
President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in July 2019, gave an assurance at the Ghana Diaspora Celebration and Third Homecoming Summit that the government would soon place before Parliament a bill that would allow Ghanaians with dual citizenship to hold public office.
He explained that the bill would deal effectively with all matters affecting overseas Ghanaians, noting that beyond the remittances they send back, they have a crucial role to play towards the growth and development of the country.
The summit was part of the Year of Return to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first 20 West African slaves in the United States.
The Bill has meanwhile been referred to the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee for consideration and report.
