John Mahama has officially been inaugurated for a second term as the president of Ghana during a ceremony held in the capital city, Accra, which was attended by approximately 20 leaders from across Africa.
In the presidential election on December 9, Mahama secured 56 percent of the votes, defeating the ruling party’s candidate, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who garnered 41 percent.
Mahama succeeds Nana Akufo-Addo, the outgoing president who completed two terms in office.
During his address to a jubilant crowd, the 66-year-old president, dressed in the national attire of Ghana, expressed that this day should signify a chance to rejuvenate the nation. The crowd, adorned in the colors of his National Democratic Congress (NDC) party—green, red, black, and white—celebrated enthusiastically on Tuesday.
The atmosphere at Accra’s Black Star Square was vibrant, filled with joyful faces waving Ghanaian and NDC flags, chanting, and dancing to the rhythm of drums and the loud sounds of vuvuzelas.
Notable attendees included Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senegal’s Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traore, Kenyan President William Ruto, President Felix Tshisekedi from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon’s Brice Oligui Nguema.
Mahama, at 66 years old, was sworn in alongside Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, who has made history as Ghana’s first female vice president.
His return to the presidency concludes eight years of governance by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) under President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose final term was characterized by significant economic challenges, a bailout from the International Monetary Fund, and a debt default. Mahama, who previously served from 2012 to early.
Mahama, a writer and fan of Afrobeat music, reflected on his transformative childhood experiences during a military coup in 1966 in his memoir, My First Coup d’Etat, And Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa.
Born into privilege in northern Ghana, he lived in the only house in his village equipped with a diesel generator. His father, a junior government minister, faced brief detention and questioning by the coup leaders but was ultimately released without harm.
In addition to his political career, Mahama served as a member of parliament and chaired the West Africa Caucus at the Pan-African Parliament in Pretoria.
Ghana has a history of political stability, with its two major parties, the ruling NPP and the NDC, alternating power since the re-establishment of multi-party democracy in 1992.
With a population of 33 million, Ghana is the leading gold exporter in Africa and the second-largest cocoa producer globally.
