Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has called on members of the Council of State to operate openly, exercise self-restraint and not obstruct governance.

The Council of State is enjoined by the 1992 Constitution (Reference Chapter 9, Article 89) to "counsel the President in the performance of his functions".

The council is required to “consider and advise the President or any other authority in respect of any appointment which is required by the constitution or any other law to be made in accordance with the advice of, or in consultation with the Council...”

The council, upon request or on its own initiative, is to “consider and make recommendations on any matter being considered or dealt with by the President, a Minister of State, or any other authority established by the Constitution.”

Speaking at the Accra Dialogue event at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) on the theme: ‘The role of the Council of State’ on Wednesday, 16 August 2017, Mr Kufuor said: “I want to see a council of state that operates openly, a council of state that is master of its own procedures, but a council of state that is self-restrained, not to become obstructional to governance but that will only give time for maturation of policies before they are unleashed on the people for governance.”