The Christian Council has welcomed the government’s proposal to reduce the minimum age required to qualify for the presidency from 40 to 35 years, describing it as a positive step toward expanding opportunities for young people to participate in national leadership.
The proposal forms part of the government’s White Paper on constitutional reforms and seeks to amend Article 62 of the 1992 Constitution, which currently requires presidential candidates to be at least 40 years old.
If approved through the constitutional amendment process, eligible Ghanaians aged 35 and above would be able to contest the presidency.
Speaking on the proposal, the Christian Council said it supports reforms that create greater opportunities for young people to assume leadership positions while also emphasizing ethical leadership and mindset transformation.
“We appreciated the government for the White Paper that is coming out on the reduction of the age for people to qualify to become president. You don’t have to be 40 years; you have to be 35 years. We think that is a very good initiative, and we applaud the government for that,” the Council said.
The Council urged the government to introduce more initiatives that create an enabling environment for the youth to serve in public office and contribute to national development.
It noted that several countries have demonstrated that younger leaders are capable of governing effectively, citing examples of nations where individuals under the age of 35 have successfully held top leadership positions.
According to the Council, young people who have completed tertiary education are adults capable of taking on significant national responsibilities if given the opportunity.
The Council maintained that reducing the presidential age requirement would help encourage greater youth participation in governance and strengthen leadership development in Ghana.
CREDIT: MAVIS FANTEVI