Ghana and Nigeria’s 4-year presidential tenures too short — Goodluck Jonathan

Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, says the four-year presidential tenure in Ghana and Nigeria is too short for any meaningful national development.

He argues that the limited term does not give leaders enough time to both form effective governments and implement key policies.

Speaking at the Executive Leadership Retreat in Ada on Thursday, April 24, Mr. Jonathan said most of a president’s first term is spent either forming a cabinet or preparing for the next election.

“Nigeria and Ghana, our tenures of president are short. In Africa, it’s only Nigeria and Ghana that have four-year terms. Most countries have five years,” he said.

“If a new person comes in, you need about a year as a learning curve. You work for two years, and the next year is an election year. So the time to really move your country is very, very limited,” he added.

Meanwhile, some political and governance experts in Africa have raised similar concerns, calling for a rethink of the continent’s term limits for governments.

Speaking at the launch of an International Desk by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) in Accra on the same day, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, echoed the concern.

“Are short term limits for Presidents or governments conducive to continuity and good economic and social governance in the absence of autonomous and resilient civil bureaucracy and a minimum cross-party national vision?” he asked.