The Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Nii Moi Thompson, has stated that extending the tenure of Ghana’s presidents would not automatically lead to better governance or development outcomes.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on January 15, 2026, Dr Thompson said the recommendation to increase presidential tenure, as suggested in the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) report, overlooks the real issues holding the country back.
“There’s no empirical basis, really, for it,” he said, adding that longer mandates could encourage inefficiency rather than productivity.
Dr Thompson cited Parkinson’s Law, a social science theory that holds that work expands to fill the time available.
“If I ask you to perform a certain task in an hour, you will do it in an hour. But if I ask you to perform the same task in six hours, you simply take your time,” he explained.
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He further warned, “Once tenure is extended, after a while they’ll come and say give us seven, give us ten. And nothing will be done.”
The NDPC Chair also rejected the notion that four years is too short for a president to deliver results, noting that governments inherit ongoing projects from previous administrations.
“Governance is a continuum. It’s not discrete. So, if you add the last two years to the four, we’re effectively talking about six years or more,” he indicated.
Dr Thompson emphasised that Ghana should focus on reforming institutions rather than adjusting constitutional timelines.
“Leadership and its ability to utilise scarce resources is the heart of economic development,” he said.
MRA/EB
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