Dr Nii Moi Thompson, Senior Advisor to the President on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), has expressed strong opposition to proposals seeking to lower Ghana’s presidential age requirement from 40 to 30 years.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV on Wednesday, January 7, Dr Thompson argued that effective national leadership demands a level of maturity that, in his view, most 30-year-olds are yet to attain.
He maintained that while intelligence is important, it must be complemented by emotional depth and sound judgement.
“It doesn’t sound appealing to me to reduce the age to 30. Being smart is not enough; you also need emotional intelligence. At that stage, you are still in between a man and a boy. Leadership comes with a process of maturity,” he said.
Dr Thompson acknowledged that some countries allow relatively young leaders to rise to top political positions but cautioned that Ghana’s political environment differs significantly.
He explained that in places such as New Zealand, politicians often progress steadily through structured political systems, gaining experience before assuming national leadership.
“In those systems, people usually start from the bottom and by their mid-20s are already well grounded to lead their parties and, eventually, their countries,” he noted.
However, he warned that Ghana’s political landscape is more vulnerable to populism, which could allow unprepared individuals to ascend to the presidency.
“Our system can easily lend itself to populism, and you could end up with the wrong person in office. For that reason, I disagree with the proposal,” he added.
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