Raise the standards of who becomes President of Ghana – says Prof. Adei

Ghana’s electoral system qualifies any Ghanaian who has attained age 40 years, with no criminal record, to contest elections to become the President of the Republic.

This qualification is in accordance to Chapter 8, Article 62 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

But former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Prof. Stephen Adei, says the standards need to be raised for individuals who attempt to lead the country as President.

“To become a president of Ghana, you need only three things; you must be 40years, speak English and not mad,” he posited.

He however says the importance of the position of President demands additional qualifications, especially moral integrity, of anyone seeking to be the first gentleman of the land.

“We must raise the standards but we must also not say that unless you have PhD from London University you cannot become the President of Ghana,” said Prof. Adei.

He was speaking at the 53^rd Annual Session of the Ghana Baptist Convention at Ejura in the Ashanti region. The theme was “Harvest Time Today: Achieving the Great Commission through Human Resource Development”.

Executive President of the Convention, Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi said the award of honorary doctoral degrees is becoming ‘a national epidemic, especially when such honorary doctorate degrees appear to be on sale”.

“I’ll therefore want to encourage and admonish our ministers and all our members to pursue real academic studies so that you can talk and walk out boldly as recipients of accredited earned degrees,” he stated.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh