Ghana’s new president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his vice-president, Mahamudu Bawumia were officially sworn in on Saturday 7 January 2017, by the Chief Justice in Accra.
Akufo-Addo led the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December 7 polls, defeating the incumbent John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The incumbent did not hesitate to concede defeat to his opponent and stuck to his words till he handed over power on Saturday.
As per the laws of Ghana, a transition of 30-days was observed as teams from the outgoing government and the incoming one met to exchange notes on the state of the country. A large number of people have converged from all walks of life to witness the event.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was born and raised in Accra Central. His father was among the founding fathers of Ghana’s independence struggle popularly referred to as “The BIG SIX. Akufo-Addo used his law practice to champion the cause of human rights, rule of law, justice, freedom, and democracy. He was well known for giving free legal assistance to the poor and fought for the rights and liberties of the Ghanaian people. He was elected three times between 1996 and 2008 as Member of Parliament for the Abuakwa South constituency in the Eastern region of Ghana. From 2001 to 2007, as Cabinet Minister, first as Attorney-General and Minister for Justice for two years, and later as Foreign Minister for five years, Akufo-Addo served in the government of President Kufuor – the second president of the fourth republic.