Mahama Ayariga, the Bawku Central MP, wants the retirement age for public servants and judicial officers extended from 60 to 65 years.

According to him, he is sponsoring a private member’s bill to amend the constitution to achieve his objective.

Mahama Ayariga during the vetting of Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the Employment and Labour Relations Minister-nominee explained:

"Many people start family life late and their children are mostly still in school when they are compulsorily retired and family incomes are negatively affected, with dire consequences for the education of their children. An extended retirement age will ensure that youth are guaranteed family income to sponsor their education.

"With improved health care and increased life expectancy, the current compulsory retirement age of 60 years hurts the public service and judiciary and denies them of healthy, competent and experienced people. And many of them live an additional twenty years or more and become a burden on the pension scheme which has to support them in retirement when they could actually work.”

Ayariga then asked if the nominee will support an amendment to the constitution to extend the retirement age.

Baffour-Awuah responded in the affirmative but stated that the concerns of young people looking for jobs must be considered.

He said, “a national dialogue on the issue of the extension of the compulsory retirement age is encouraged to build a national consensus on the matter”.