John Mahama was sworn in today as Ghana’s new president at a colourful ceremony which held at Black Star Square in Accra, the Ghanaian capital and was attended by world leaders.
At the same event, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang made history as she was sworn in as the country’s first female vice president.
The new president took over from Nana Akufo-Ado who succeeded him in 2017 with a mission to revive Ghana’s ailing economy..
The oath of office was administered on the two leaders by the Chief Justice of Ghana, Gertrude Torkornoo.
In his inaugural address, the new president said, among other things that “Today should mark the opportunity to reset our country”.
Among those present were Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senegal’s Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Burkina Faso’s leader Ibrahim Traore, Kenyan President William Ruto, President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon’s Brice Oligui Nguema.
Presidents Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone and Mamadi Doumbouya of Guinea as well as former leaders and officials also attended the inauguration.
It would be recalled that Mahama first led Ghana from 2012 to 2017; and had subsequently failed twice to win back the presidency.
To win the election in December, he polled 6.3 million votes, 50% of the total to beat his nearest challenger, Mahamudu Bawumia of the ruling New Patriotic Party, by 1.7 million votes.
In conceding defeat, then, Bawumia said, “The people of Ghana have spoken. The people have voted for change at this time, and we respect it with all humility”.
The economy became a major election issue after Ghana defaulted on its debt and entered into a $3-billion deal with the IMF.
Ghana has only just begun recovering from its worst economic downturn in years, with inflation peaking at 50 percent in late 2022 — although it has since fallen to 23 percent.
With a history of political stability, Ghana’s two main parties, the ruling NPP and the NDC, have alternated in power equally since the return to multi-party democracy in 1992.
