As Ghana reflects on the relevance and future strength of its 1992 Constitution, one provision that continues to raise important national questions is Article 62(b), which sets the minimum age for eligibility to contest the office of President of the Republic at forty (40) years. In a rapidly evolving democratic, educational, and governance environment, this age threshold increasingly appears misaligned with present-day realities.
Article 62(b) of the Constitution provides that a person shall not be qualified for election as President unless that person “has attained the age of forty years.” While this provision may have reflected earlier governance assumptions, it no longer adequately accounts for modern leadership dynamics, democratic inclusion, or Ghana’s own historical and contemporary experience.
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At the core of the debate is a simple but fundamental principle: age is not, in itself, a determinant of competence or wisdom. Leadership effectiveness is more appropriately measured by experience, exposure, integrity, commitment, performance, and some level of education. Across Ghana’s history, several leaders, youthful ministers of state, deputy ministers, and appointees in successive governments have demonstrated excellence, competence, and strategic leadership in critical sectors of governance. Their performance affirms that ability—not age—determines effectiveness in public office.
The Constitution already entrusts citizens at eighteen (18) years, not forty (40), with the sovereign power to vote and determine who governs the Republic. It is therefore inconsistent and inequitable to preclude capable citizens—solely on the basis of advanced age—from being eligible to be chosen by the same electorate to lead.
Ghana’s History Shows Leadership Has Never Been Age-Bound
Ghana’s constitutional and political history affirms the capacity of younger leaders to govern effectively.
Ghana’s first Republican Constitution– the 1960 Constitution set the minimum age to be President at thirty-five (35) years. Article 11(2)(a) of that Constitution clearly stated: “any citizen of Ghana shall be qualified for election as President if he has attained the age of thirty-five years.”
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was thirty-seven (37) years old when he joined the “Big Six” in 1947, leading Ghana’s struggle for independence—the most significant and important moment in the nation’s history, before becoming the Head of Government Business in 1952 and later the Prime Minister. These milestones confirm that transformational leadership in Ghana has never been age-dependent.
Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings was thirty-two (32) years old when he first assumed national leadership in 1979 as Head of State, and thirty-four (34) years old when he returned to power in 1981. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding his rise to power, he was formally and officially recognised as the Head of State of Ghana.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor served as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1969 at the exact age of thirty-one (31) years. In that role, he excellently represented Ghana internationally and participated in high-level diplomatic engagement, notably leading Ghana’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in 1970 at age thirty-two (32). If a citizen is trusted at 31 years to represent Ghana globally as a minister, there is no rational constitutional basis to deny such a person eligibility to serve as President, subject to the will of the electorate.
Beyond these examples, Ghana’s history records two other citizens who assumed the office of Head of State while below the age of forty (40) : General Akwasi Afrifa, who briefly served during the transitional period in 1969 at age thirty-eight (38); and Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong in 1972 at age thirty-nine (39).
Contemporary Practice Reinforces the Argument
Present-day governance in Ghana continues to affirm youthful leadership. Under the current administration of President John Dramani Mahama, Dr. Frank Amoakohene was appointed Ashanti Regional Minister in 2025 at thirty-four (34) years of age, overseeing one of Ghana’s most populous and politically strategic regions. This appointment reflects a deliberate reliance on competence rather than age in high-level governance.
Similarly, in 2009, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was appointed Deputy Minister of Information at age twenty-eight (28), becoming one of the youngest ministers in Ghana’s Fourth Republic. He later served as Deputy Minister for Education in 2013 at thirty-three (33) years of age. His tenure demonstrated that youthful leadership, when grounded in competence and accountability, enhances governance outcomes.
In 2025, Mr. Maxwell Boakye also made history as the youngest member of the Council of State at thirty-two (32) years, representing the Western Region. The Council of State is constitutionally mandated to advise the President on matters of national importance. If a citizen is deemed sufficiently competent and wise to advise the President at such an age, it is reasonable—on grounds of fairness and consistency—that such a citizen should also be eligible, subject to the will of the electorate, to lead the nation.
Regional and Global Trends Cannot Be Ignored
Across Africa and the world, leadership is increasingly defined by competence rather than age. Captain Ibrahim Traoré became Head of State of Burkina Faso at thirty-four (34) years. Joseph Kabila assumed the presidency of the Democratic Republic of Congo at twenty-nine (29) years and later won a disputed election at age 35, Mahamat Débhe of Chad assumed office as the transitional president at age thirty-nine (39), while Thomas Sankara became President of Burkina Faso at thirty-three (33) years.
Globally, Emmanuel Macron became President of France at thirty-nine (39), Jacinda Ardern served as Prime Minister of New Zealand at thirty-seven (37), and Benazir Bhutto became Prime Minister of Pakistan at age 35. Daniel Noboa, President of Ecuador, was elected at age 35. Milojko Spajić became Prime Minister of Montenegro at age 36. Jakov Milatović became President of Montenegro at the age of 36 years old. Sebastian Kurz became Chancellor of Austria at thirty-one (31), and Sanna Marin became Prime Minister of Finland at thirty-four (34). These examples underscore a global consensus that leadership capacity is not age-bound.
Education, Experience, and Today’s Realities
Education and experience are acquired much earlier today than in previous generations. In Ghana, the average age of university graduation is approximately twenty to twenty-one (20–21) years. By age thirty-five (35), a citizen typically accumulates about fifteen (15) years of professional, civic, or political experience, at the current average age of a graduate.
Within those fifteen years:
- A citizen may serve as almost a four-term Member of Parliament, qualify for leadership positions in a caucus at Parliament, a Ranking Member of a Parliamentary Committee or even serve as Deputy Speaker, subject to parliamentary procedures, approval, and performance.
- An officer with a university degree in the Ghana Armed Forces may rise to ranks such as Major or Lieutenant Colonel, while an officer in the Ghana Police Service may attain ranks such as Superintendent or Chief Superintendent, subject to merit and security agency requirements.
- A legal practitioner may achieve significant standing at the Bar and, subject to constitutional requirements, experience and recommendation, qualify for High Court Judge appointment or become a Justice of the Court of Appeal in Ghana.
- In corporate or multilateral organizations, such a person may rise to a C-suite position in a reputable, globally renowned, blue-chip, and competitive firm.
International Standards and the Case for Reform
The Ghana National Youth and African Union Youth Charters, alongside relevant United Nations frameworks, define youth as persons between eighteen (18) and thirty-five (35) years. Aligning Ghana’s presidential eligibility threshold with the benchmark of age 35 promotes fair inclusion and coherence.
Reducing the presidential age limit from forty (40) to thirty-five (35) would promote fairness and equal opportunity, strengthen merit-based leadership, encourage youth participation and innovation, reflect modern educational and professional realities, and deepen trust between the state and its citizens. It would also avert the risk of young citizens feeling permanently locked out of the highest level of leadership in Ghana, which may cause unrest someday and, over time, the danger of an uprising driven by exclusion. It will further reduce any perception that military coup, is the only viable pathway for younger citizens to attain the status of a Head of State, thereby safeguarding constitutional rule and democratic stability.
Safeguards already exist through electoral competition, voter scrutiny, and constitutional checks and balances. Ultimately, the Ghanaian people retain the sovereign power to decide who leads them.
Recommendation
It is recommended that Article 62(b) of the 1992 Constitution be amended to read: “A person shall not be qualified for election as President of the Republic unless that person has attained the age of thirty-five years.”
A Necessary National Conversation
Revisiting Article 62(b) is not about lowering standards; it is about aligning Ghana’s Constitution with democratic fairness, contemporary realities, and merit-based leadership. If a citizen is deemed capable of voting wisely to elect a President, that citizen—if otherwise qualified, with some degree of life experience, exposure, and tested leadership potential—should equally be eligible to be elected.
At the birth of Ghana’s republican democracy in 1960, thirty-five years was considered sufficient for a citizen to possess the maturity, experience, and judgment required to lead the nation.
Returning to this age threshold would therefore not be a radical departure. It would align realities of life in modern world, current democratic practice with the country’s foundational principles, and reflect the enduring belief that leadership capacity is grounded in competence and merit rather than advanced age.
By: Bright Ofori
A Citizen of Ghana
