CRC proposal: At 30, you lack maturity to be President – Agyeman-Duah

Governance analyst Professor Baffuor Kwaku Agyeman-Duah has expressed strong opposition to the Constitution Review Committee’s (CRC) recommendation to lower the minimum age requirement for presidential candidates from 40 to 30 years.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews on Saturday, December 27, Prof. Agyeman-Duah questioned whether younger candidates would have the maturity and experience necessary to govern effectively.

“Personally, I didn’t like the idea of reducing the age from 40 to 30 because I think that at 30 years you don’t have enough maturity. Pardon me for those who think I am wrong,” he stated.

Prof. Agyeman-Duah argued that Ghana’s socio-economic context makes it difficult for young people to acquire sufficient experience to manage the presidency. “I think if you take the Ghanaian context into account, for instance, most Ghanaians from the villages, as I come from, by the time you finish your first degree, you are almost 27 or 28. And even if by then you have finished your master’s degree, what experience do you have, what exposure have you had to run the country? Because running the country is not running NUGS organisations,” he explained.

He further emphasized that age often brings broader perspective and sound judgment, both essential qualities for national leadership. “At my age, I know that 30 years simply, you haven’t attained the age of maturity to run a state,” Prof. Agyeman-Duah added.

The Constitution Review Committee announced its proposal on Monday, December 22, 2025, during the formal presentation of its report. Committee Chair Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh explained that the recommendation aims to amend Article 62(b) of the 1992 Constitution to remove age-related restrictions, widen political participation, and align leadership eligibility with Ghana’s youthful population.

Established by President John Dramani Mahama in January 2025, the CRC was tasked with a comprehensive review of the 1992 Constitution. Chaired by Prof. Prempeh, who also serves as Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the committee includes legal and governance experts such as Justice Sophia Adinyira, Charlotte Osei, Professor Kwame Karikari, Dr. Godwin Djokoto, Ibrahim Tanko Amadu, Dr. Esi Ansah, and Secretary Dr. Rainer Akumperigeya.

The committee’s mandate focuses on addressing gaps identified in previous constitutional reviews, including those in 2010 and 2023, with the aim of modernizing Ghana’s governance framework and ensuring it meets the needs of a changing society.