Ghana’s Constitution Review Committee has proposed extending the presidential term of office from four years to five years, describing it as the single most important reform needed to stabilise governance and allow elected governments sufficient time to plan, implement and consolidate national policies.
The proposal was contained in the committee’s final report presented on Monday to President John Dramani Mahama, bringing to a close months of nationwide consultations on possible reforms to the 1992 Constitution.
The eight-member Constitution Review Committee, chaired by constitutional law scholar Henry Kwasi Prempeh, stressed that the recommended five-year term would not be accompanied by any proposal for a third presidential term.
The committee said the aim was to reduce the pressures of frequent election cycles while preserving the existing two-term limit.
Closely linked to the proposed term extension is a recommendation to end Ghana’s hybrid executive-legislative arrangement, under which the majority of ministers are appointed from Parliament.
The committee recommended a clearer constitutional separation between the executive and the legislature, arguing that the current system weakens parliamentary oversight and blurs accountability.
Under the proposal, ministers would be appointed from outside Parliament, allowing MPs to focus more fully on legislation and scrutiny of government.
The committee also proposed moving presidential elections from December to November. This, it said, would lengthen the transition period between administrations from one month to about two months, allowing for a more orderly handover of power and reducing administrative disruptions at the start of a new government.
On local governance, the report recommends a gradual move towards the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.
Rather than an immediate nationwide change, the committee proposed the creation of a Devolution Commission to supervise a phased process based on readiness benchmarks.
The committee argued that this approach would deepen decentralisation while avoiding the instability that could arise from a sudden overhaul of local government structures.
A major theme running through the proposals is the depoliticisation of state institutions. The committee recommended reforms to the Council of State to make it a more credible advisory body and a stronger check on executive appointments.
It also proposed restructuring the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice by separating its human rights mandate from its anti-corruption functions, creating two specialised institutions with clearer responsibilities.
Among the more socially resonant proposals is a recommendation to reduce the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 30 years, which the committee said would better reflect Ghana’s youthful population and expand democratic participation.
The report further proposed that the salaries, allowances and benefits of holders of public office, including the president, should be subject to taxation and oversight by an independent emoluments body, as part of broader efforts to promote equity and transparency in public service.
Receiving the report, President Mahama described the recommendations as bold and far-reaching, noting that they reflect long-standing concerns raised by citizens about the structure and operation of the Ghanaian state.
He said the government would study the proposals carefully and pursue implementation through broad consultations, emphasising that constitutional reform requires bipartisan consensus and public buy-in.
An implementation committee is expected to be set up in the coming months to guide the next phase of the process.
The committee’s report is expected to be published to stimulate national debate. Any amendments arising from it will have to comply with constitutional procedures, including parliamentary supermajorities and, for entrenched provisions, approval through a national referendum.
As attention focuses on the proposed five-year presidential term and the wider governance reforms, the review process is set to reopen fundamental questions about how Ghana’s democracy should be structured for the decades ahead.
