July 30, 2026
ACCRA, Ghana — The Government of Ghana has endorsed major constitutional reform proposals that would extend the tenure of the President and Members of Parliament from four years to five years, marking one of the country’s most significant governance reforms in recent years.
The proposals, contained in the government’s White Paper on the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC), are aimed at giving elected administrations more time to implement development policies before facing another general election.
Speaking while presenting the White Paper, Ghana’s Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, said the government had accepted the recommendation to increase the tenure of both the President and Parliament to five years.
According to him, the current four-year cycle leaves governments with limited time to deliver on their mandates, as newly elected administrations spend their early months settling into office while the final year is often dominated by preparations for the next elections.
Dr. Ayine explained that a five-year tenure would provide greater political stability and create a more practical timeframe for planning, implementing, and evaluating government policies designed to drive national development.
The government also backed a proposal to reduce the minimum age required to contest for the presidency. While the Constitutional Review Committee recommended lowering the age from 40 to 30 years, the government approved a revised minimum age of 35 years, saying the recommendation was accepted with modifications.
If eventually approved through Ghana’s constitutional amendment process, the reforms would grant elected governments an additional year in office while allowing younger citizens to seek the country’s highest political office.
The proposals will now proceed to the next stage of the constitutional review process, where the legal framework and implementation procedures for the proposed amendments will be developed before they can become part of Ghana’s Constitution.
