Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, Ransford Gyampo, has thrown his support behind proposals to extend Ghana’s presidential term from four to five years, arguing that the current constitutional arrangement leaves governments with little time to effectively implement their development agenda.
Speaking on the KeyPoints on constitutional reforms, Prof. Gyampo said the realities of governance make it difficult for any administration to deliver meaningful results within a single four-year term.
According to him, newly elected governments spend a significant portion of their first year recruiting and vetting competent individuals for key positions before policies can be fully implemented.
He explained that governance is “too serious a business” to allow appointments to be made without proper due diligence.
“Governance of a developing country is too serious a business to be left to just anybody.”
Prof. Gyampo said governments must undertake extensive background checks, security vetting and assessments of competence before appointing individuals to public office.
He noted that assembling the right team alone can take close to a year, particularly for an administration determined to place qualified people in leadership positions.
“You have to vet people, undertake security checks, examine their experience and ensure they merit the positions before appointing them,” he said.
The political scientist argued that Ghana’s electoral calendar leaves little room for sustained governance.
According to him, by the second year of an administration, attention begins shifting to district level elections, which require considerable political and administrative focus.
He added that by the third year, governing parties become preoccupied with internal leadership contests and presidential primaries, which are often more divisive than national elections.
“The internal contest can sometimes be more distracting and more divisive than the national election itself.”
Prof. Gyampo further observed that the fourth year is dominated by preparations for the next general election, leaving governments with limited uninterrupted time to govern.
While acknowledging previous proposals by former President John Agyekum Kufuor for a single seven-year presidential term, Prof. Gyampo said he believes a five-year tenure strikes a better balance.
He stressed that five years would provide governments with enough time to implement policies without allowing leaders to remain in office for an excessively long period.
According to him, the proposal is not about extending anyone’s stay in power but about improving governance outcomes.
“I think five years would be good. It does not give leaders too much time, but it is also not too short.”
While supporting a longer presidential term, Prof. Gyampo cautioned that extending tenure alone does not guarantee better governance.
By Christabel Success Treve
