Former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa-Asare, has questioned proposals to reduce the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 30, arguing that there is no compelling need to alter the current requirement.
Speaking in an interview on Thursday, September 17, Ansa-Asare said he supported greater youth participation in Ghana’s political process but questioned whether lowering the presidential age limit was necessary to achieve that objective.
He said the focus should instead be on allowing the existing constitutional provisions to work, cautioning against what he described as repeated tinkering with the Constitution by political parties.
“Let the constitution work. We have gone with 40 years for many years. It has served us well. What is this rush in trying, you know, to lower the age, you know, to 30, when we cannot even, you know, do anything.”
He acknowledged the importance of encouraging young people to participate in politics but questioned whether lowering the presidential age was the most necessary constitutional reform.
“I’m not saying that we shouldn’t think of encouraging the youth to participate, you know, in the political activities of the country.”
His comments come as debate continues over the government’s response to recommendations contained in the Constitutional Review Committee’s report.
The committee recommended reducing the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 30, while the government has proposed a threshold of 35. Government has also accepted the recommendation to extend the terms of office for the President and Parliament from four to five years.
The committee’s report indicates that submissions to the review process reflected differing views on the issue, with some respondents calling for the existing 40-year threshold to be maintained, while others proposed lower age limits.
Ansa-Asare also urged caution in pursuing constitutional amendments that, in his view, do not address more fundamental national concerns, and called on the government to reconsider aspects of the proposed reforms.