The African Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) has urged Ghana to learn from the French experience and give more opportunities to young people to occupy leadership roles, especially the presidency.
ACILA Executive Director William Nyarko said young people have potential and the country needs to think progressively rather than placing barriers in the way of people because of age.
“I am not in favour of putting a cap starting from 40 years before somebody can become a president,” he told Dr Etse Sikanku on Class FM’s World Affairs programme on Friday, May 12.
Newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron is 39 and is regarded as a man who has upset the political status quo in France away from the conservative political system.
Mr Nyarko stated that from age 20 onwards people have life experiences which may be useful in the governance of the country. He was of the view that even former President Jerry John Rawlings staged a coup to win power; he was able to govern even though he was below 40 at that time.
He was not enthused about age being a big issue in Ghana, saying the focus should instead be on a candidate “having an authority on ideas” to govern.
For him, many ideas have come from young people and setting the minimum presidential at age 40 is not the best. He cited global leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and others who have emerged as movers of economies at very young ages.
He was of the opinion that “hopefully the constitution could be amended and brought to 30 years” because we have legislators under 30 years who are serving well.
On her part Dr Amanda Coffie, a Research Fellow at the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD), encouraged the youth to embrace the spirit of volunteerism at a young age which helps to build experience instead of waiting to graduate and do national service “reluctantly”.
She highlighted that even though Mr Macron was young, he had worked in the banking sector and held a ministerial position which helped him gain experience.
She highlighted that even though Mr Macron was young, he had worked in the banking sector and held a ministerial position which helped him gain experience.
For her the challenges in Africa are different from Europe and require some level of experience in order to provide solutions.
“There is a link between age and experience. Unfortunately we have an educational structure which does not encourage volunteerism and that is where you build experience from,” she noted.
Dr Coffie maintained that the country would need to adopt systems that build the capacity of young people to have the necessary experience to occupy leadership roles, especially the presidency.
Source: classfmonline.com
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Highly shallow argument. What are the facts to prove that he's going to do well and bring about better initiatives that will highly transform the French Economy. Besides the systems running the French economy are well established than that of our dear Ghana. haven't you learnt your lessons yet, when the previous government became dominated by the so called thirties. What happened to our economy, selfishness, greed and corruption. Kindly tell ACILA to revise their notes.
we were all in this country when an elected president decided to give positions to school leavers.....where did it end us. now because of these babies, our dear country has gone back to over forty years in progress. we can never compare ourselves to Europeans. so called learned ones in this country like jumping the gun too much. because of France they want it in Ghana. don't they have anything to talk about. how are they bringing up their children to be respectful so we vote for them in their youth when they leave the children to house helps and televisions land video games. let us be serious in this country. let us learn to cut our coat according to our cloth. from the age of 20 when guys and gals are in school siphoning money from parents and family..... that is experience?
Its about time we scrapped the age restriction completely. If a 20 year old can win then so be it though this is near impossible. The point is the system itself will get people of the acceptable age winning.
CRAZY BUFFOONS OF IRREFUTABLE LOW MENTAL IDIOCRATIC SECTS OF CENTRE CALLED AFRICAN CENTRE.HOW ON EARTH COULD ONE COMPARE EMMANUEL MACRONS WIN TO THE YOUTH IN AFRICA OR GHANA.ILLETERATES AND IGNORANCEEEEE TO THE HIGHEST ORDER.LET ME REMIND YOU.HOW ON EARTH CAN A PROFESSOR IN AFRICA COMPARE HIMSELF TO A SIXTH GRADE STUDENT IN EUROPE OR AMERICA NEVER IN A MILLION TIMES.BRING A SIXTH GRADE STUDENT TO DEBATE A PROFESSOR IN AFRICA TO ANY SUBJECT AND HE WILL FLOOR OUR AFRICAN SO CALLED EDUCATORS.A 40 YEAR OLD MACRON WAS BROUGHT UP IN ALREADY A DEVELOPED COUNTRY WITH LOTS OF EXPERIENCE AT HIS BELT.WHAT EXPERIENCE DO WE 40 YEAR OLD AFRICANS HAVE? HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN RAWLINGS? WHAT DID HE ARCHIVE FOR GHANA APART FROM DEATH AND DESTRUCTION. WE WENT DOWN THE DRAIN.YAKUBU GOWAN AND OJUKWU OF NIGERIA PLUNGED NIGERIA INTO AN UNIMAGINABLE MISERY OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION ALL IN THEIR YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE.WE NEED OLDER MEN WITH GUTS AND EXPERIENCE AND NOT YOUNG MEN WHO WILL COME TO MILK THE COFERS FOR THEIR FUTURE GENERATIONS.JUST LOOK AT MAHAMA.