Allison Lee: Colourful Skies and Spies in Ghana

Allison Lee interned at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development in Accra, Ghana.

Since my arrival in Ghana, I can’t count the number of times I’ve been asked what I love most about being here. What first comes to mind are the people. Never have I felt so welcomed to a country, or so well taken care of. I also love the expressive skies, painted all sorts of beautiful colours during sunset, enough to make me get out my camera almost daily to capture the moment. It could also be the vibrant culture, from listening and dancing to the music of Ghanaian favourite Shatta Wale (who you should definitely check out on YouTube by the way), to watching in amazement as women and men alike walk the streets of Accra with all manner of things balanced atop their heads. I guess my answer is: I love everything about this beautiful, crazy, friendly country.

My experience at CDD-Ghana seems like a natural extension – I hardly feel like I am working because I am enjoying it so much. CDD is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that promotes good governance rooted in the rule of law. This includes checking the power of the state and ensuring the integrity of public administration. Much of the day-to-day operations centre on free and fair elections, particularly as this year is an election year. However, CDD does a lot of other work behind the scenes on projects as well known as the Afrobarometer and the Ibrahim Index.

Luckily for me, CDD is also known for its expertise on legal policy. Coincidentally, a lot of the legal policy work coming in fit nicely with my two main areas of interest: criminal law and international law. While I had a few smaller assignments on the side, my main assignments were tailored to my interests in these fields.

My first assignment was a daunting one: write a memorandum to Ghana’s Minister of Justice proposing specific amendments to existing criminal legislation and suggesting possible future legislative developments related to non-custodial sentencing. CDD has long been involved in advocating for non-custodial sentencing in Ghana, so I had a wealth of information and expertise at my fingertips. Not only did I discover a new passion (I am already signed up for my Sentencing class next year!), I also got to research other criminal justice systems in Africa which provided a more comprehensive view of the legal and social problems many of these systems face.

I felt lucky enough to have completed even one assignment in my specific field of interest, and was pleasantly surprised to find that my next task involved commenting on a draft International Criminal Court (ICC) Bill, which is finally being enacted as part of Ghana’s obligations under the Rome Statute. Having already studied international criminal law, it was interesting to see how some of the issues in this field appear in practice. A contentious issue here is the inclusion of the death penalty in Ghana’s Criminal Code. The death penalty is not considered as a punishment under international criminal law, where a life sentence is the maximum punishment for an offender. I really enjoyed navigating these touchy subjects and proposing recommendations to Ghana’s Law Reform Commission based on what I had found.

Most recently, I have had the opportunity to work on what CDD terms “the spy bill”, which is similar to Canada’s contentious Bill C-51. Last year, the Ministry of the Interior tabled a Bill that essentially asked Ghanaian citizens to forego their constitutionally protected right to privacy in the name of the fight against terrorism and other organized crime. The Bill met with a lot of backlash from civil society, including CDD, as it essentially allowed interception of all telecommunications and post, whether or not the individual in question was involved in such activities. They have now addressed some of these grievances, and we are assessing whether the most recent draft of the Bill is constitutionally valid.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have taken part in some of the amazing work that CDD does here in Ghana. Not only were the staff attentive to my interests, they also provided great critical feedback that allowed me to develop and hone important legal skills. My time in Accra with CDD has more than exceeded my expectations; I could not have asked for a more incredible or rewarding experience.