Ghana Proposes Five-Year Presidential Terms

​ACCRA — The Government of Ghana has formally greenlit a sweeping framework of constitutional reforms that could fundamentally reshape the nation’s political landscape. Anchored by a recommendation from the Constitution Review Committee—established by President John Dramani Mahama—the administration has approved in principle extending both the presidential and parliamentary terms from four years to five years.

​Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dominic Ayine announced the decision, emphasizing that the current four-year cycle severely compresses effective governance. According to the administration, incoming governments typically spend their first several months managing transitions and setting up administrations, while the final year is almost entirely consumed by intense campaign activities. A five-year mandate is projected to offer stability and uninterrupted time to execute developmental agendas.

​Broad Structural Adjustments

​Alongside the term extension, the government addressed several core pillars of the 1992 Constitution:

• ​Age Requirement Adjusted: While the review committee initially floated lowering the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 30 years, the government modified the threshold, settling on a minimum age of 35 years to balance youth empowerment with executive readiness.

• ​Election Calendar Shift: Presidential and parliamentary elections will now be legally shifted to the first week of November, establishing a cleaner buffer period ahead of the traditional January 7 inauguration date.
• ​Path to Referendum: A dedicated drafting committee will formulate formal constitutional amendment bills through October 2026. Because these changes alter entrenched provisions, they must clear legislative hurdles before heading to a national referendum in 2027.

​Success at the ballot box will require high civic participation: at least 40% of registered voters must cast ballots, with a 75% supermajority approval among voters required to ratify the sweeping reforms.

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​Inside the Constitution Review Committee’s Report

​This video provides an in-depth breakdown of the comprehensive structural changes and public policy debates surrounding Ghana’s ongoing constitutional review.