Ghana govt approves proposal to extend presidential tenure

Ghanaian government has approved a proposal to extend the presidential term from four to five years and reduce the minimum age requirement for presidential candidates to 35.

The West African nation, regarded as one of Africa’s leading producers of gold and cocoa, has enjoyed uninterrupted democratic governance since the adoption of its current constitutional order in 1992.

President John Dramani Mahama constituted a committee last year to undertake a review of the country’s constitution, and the panel presented its final report to him on Thursday.

Briefing journalists after the submission, Justice Minister Dominic Ayine said the government had accepted the recommendation to increase the president’s tenure from four to five years.

“The government has accepted the recommendation to extend the term of office of the president from four years to five years,” Ayine said.

He added that the government had also endorsed the proposal to extend the tenure of members of parliament to five years in order to synchronise it with the presidential term.

While the Constitution Review Committee proposed reducing the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 30 years, Ayine said the government opted instead to set the eligibility age at 35.

In its report, the committee argued that a four-year presidential tenure leaves an administration with only a little over two years of effective governance, as the first six months are often devoted to appointments and setting up government, while the final year is dominated by election activities.

The panel also maintained that extending the tenure to five years would provide governments with more time to implement policies and programmes, thereby strengthening democratic accountability.

The proposed constitutional amendments will, however, require approval through a national referendum scheduled for 2027, where they must meet the constitutional requirements on voter turnout and approval before taking effect.