Supreme Court nominee, Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, has raised concerns about the legal inconsistency in Ghana’s laws regarding the age of consent for sex and marriage.
He pointed out that while the law prohibits marriage for anyone under 18 years, it allows individuals as young as 16 to engage in consensual sex, creating a two-year gap that he believes needs to be bridged.
Speaking during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, June 16, Justice Adjei proposed that both legal ages for sex and marriage should be aligned at 18.
“There is a gap in our laws. At 16, one can consent to sex, but the same person cannot legally marry until 18. What happens in that period? I believe, in future, we can fill that gap. If you cannot marry, don’t have sex. So why can’t we make it straightforward — 18 years?” he asked.
He further praised Ghana’s defilement laws, which criminalize sexual activity with persons under 16, regardless of gender, noting their neutrality and fairness.
“I’m happy with the laws on defilement, because they are gender-neutral. Once you have sex with a person under 16 — with or without consent — it is defilement. But after 16, it’s no longer criminal, yet you cannot marry until 18,” he explained.
Sir Dennis Adjei argued that delaying sexual activity until the legal age for marriage would help protect young people and give them the opportunity to focus on education and personal development before entering into such commitments.
