Cabinet has accepted in principle a recommendation to lower the minimum age required to contest Ghana’s presidential election, proposing a new threshold of 35 years instead of the current 40.
Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, announced the decision during the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Thursday, July 30, while outlining the government’s position on the recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee.
According to him, although the Constitution Review Committee proposed reducing the minimum age to 30 years, the government believes 35 years strikes a better balance between inclusivity and experience.
“The Government has accepted this recommendation in principle, subject to one modification: the minimum age will be thirty-five years, not thirty,” Dr Ayine said.
He explained that the current constitutional requirement of 40 years prevents many qualified Ghanaians from aspiring to the country’s highest office.
“The current threshold of forty excludes qualified citizens from seeking the highest office on the basis of an arbitrary age line. Thirty-five is consistent with the trend in modern democratic constitutions towards greater inclusivity, while ensuring that a candidate for the highest office has attained a measure of maturity and experience,” he added.
The proposal forms part of the government’s response to recommendations made by the Constitution Review Committee, chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh.
The committee submitted its final report in February 2026 after nationwide consultations and proposed over 200 constitutional amendments. Changes affecting entrenched provisions of the Constitution will require approval through a national referendum.
