Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee (CRC), has defended the Committee’s recommendation to lower Ghana’s presidential age requirement from 40 to 30.
The CRC presented its report to President John Dramani Mahama on Monday, December 22, 2025, proposing the change to boost political participation and reflect Ghana’s youthful population.
According to Prof. Prempeh, the Committee is proposing an amendment to Article 62(b) of the Constitution to make younger citizens eligible to contest the highest political office in the country, seeking to remove age-based barriers that limit access to leadership opportunities.
The recommendation has sparked mixed reactions since, with some backing it and others saying it should be kept at 40.
Defending the move with TV3’s Keminni Amanor on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, Prof. Prempeh said lowering the age limit doesn’t guarantee a 30-year-old’s presidency – it’s up to the people to decide.
“It doesn’t mean that when you are 30, and you stand for President, you’re going to get elected. It’s for the people to decide,” he stressed.
“If you are 30, and they feel you have accomplished a lot, and you have a lot to offer, your maturity shows, your experience shows at 30, and they want to vote for you, that’s their choice,” he added.
He explained further that some advanced countries are electing much younger people as Presidents, saying the 40 age-limit in Ghana seemed a bit high.
“In many of the countries that are far more advanced, they are electing much younger people. So 40 years seemed to us a bit high, because even in 1960, the Constitution allowed 35-year-olds to stand for President.”
Beyond eligibility reforms, the Committee has also suggested amendments to Article 68(5) to ensure that the salary, allowances, and facilities enjoyed by the President are subject to taxation, in line with applicable tax laws.
Under the proposal, the President would also be required to pay indirect taxes on goods and services, including import duties, on the same basis as all other citizens.
“The Committee recommends an amendment to clauses (1) and (2) of Article 71 to provide that the salaries and allowances and the facilities and privileges available to persons holding public office generally, including the President and the holders of the other offices listed under clauses (1) and (2), shall be determined by the proposed Independent Public Emoluments Commission,” he stated.
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