President Akufo-Addo has called for third term mandates in any country within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to be outlawed.

According to him, this is the surest way to safeguard Africa’s fragile democracy, and prevent coup d’etats from happening in the sub-region.

Speaking in his personal capacity, President Akufo-Addo said he supports the idea of two term limits for heads of state.

“To be honest, I am not speaking (now) as Chairman of ECOWAS, I support the idea… I feel ECOWAS protocols on good governance should outlaw the third-term mandates in any country. I feel strongly it is something that we ought to do to prevent what is happening in Guinea elsewhere,” he indicated.

President Akufo-Addo made these comments in an interview with Kumasi-based Ash FM on Saturday, as part of his tour of the Ashanti Region.

His comments come at the back of military takeovers in some African countries such as Guinea and Mali.

He cited Ghana as an example, saying, since the inception of the 4th Republic we have been enjoying political stability due to the respect for the rule of law and the holding of periodic elections to give citizens an opportunity to participate in the governance of the country.

“Using the ballot box has contributed to the stability of our country. People believe that if a leader is not doing well, they can vote against that leader in four years’ time. We don’t need a coup to change someone,” he added.

The ECOWAS Chairman insisted that there is no justification for the overthrow of Alpha Conde’s governance after a referendum was held to allow a President run for a third term.

He added that, “We are opposed, in principle, to any intervention of the military to the political life of a country. The population is capable of resolving its problems through the ballot box.”

To this end, President Akufo-Addo revealed that ECOWAS has started reviewing its protocols to strengthen the growth of democracy in the sub-region.