Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, also known as Kwaku Azar, a legal scholar and governance advocate, has joined the debate surrounding the presidential term limits in the country.
According to Kwaku Azar, both arguments that four years is too short and two terms are not enough sound reasonable, but both miss the point.
He highlighted that the problem is not the length of the term, but it is the quality of the governance.
In a Facebook post, Kwaku Azar wrote, “Four Years Is Enough—If We Stop Wasting Them. Every election season, two familiar claims echo across our political space: “Four years is too short,” and “Two terms are not enough.”
Both sound reasonable, but both miss the point. The problem is not the length of the term — it is the quality of the governance”.
Kwaku Azar proposed a solution that, with just four years, the country’s governance could be effective.
He added, “Proponents of longer terms say governments need more time to plan, implement, and consolidate reforms. They argue the first year goes into appointments, the second into launching programs, and the rest into campaigning. But that is not a constitutional flaw! That is a managerial problem.
Across mature democracies, campaign seasons are brief. Canada’s longest was 74 days; Japan allows just 12. Here, the campaign never ends.
Appointments drag on for months; reshuffles outnumber reforms. This is not a four-year problem — it is a forever-campaign problem.
Governance can work efficiently within four years if we fix the culture: shorten campaign seasons, cut political appointments, institutionalise transition planning, and empower a professional civil service to provide continuity beyond elections”.
He further dismissed arguments that giving presidents more time in office would lead to greater achievements.
Mr Azar noted that some African leaders, despite long tenures, have contributed little to the development of their countries.
“The call for longer tenure confuses continuity with longevity. Many of the long-serving leaders in Africa had time but no transformation. Development does not depend on how long a leader stays; it depends on how well institutions work after they are gone.
Two terms are not just enough; they are essential. They protect democracy, prevent power from personalizing, and allow citizens to renew leadership before it calcifies into entitlement”, he added.
According to Kwaku Azar, Ghana waste too much time governing poorly and too little time governing well.
“A government that cannot deliver in eight years will not perform miracles in twelve. The cure is not to extend mandates but to enforce discipline, efficiency, and accountability.
Transformation is not a function of tenure but of vision and governance. The problem is not how long we let leaders stay — it’s how little they do while they are there.
We do not need more years added. We need fewer years wasted”, his post concluded.
See the post below: