Ghana leader takes oath of office

By VPPS

ACCRA, GHANA: Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka joined several Heads of State and Government to witness the inauguration of Ghana’s newly elected President John Dramani Mahama.

The colourful ceremony held at the country’s Independence Square in the capital, Accra, was attended by former Ghanaian presidents John Jerry Rawlings and John Kufuor.

Heads of State in attendance included Nigeria’s Goodluck Jonathan, Jacob Zuma of South Africa, and those from Togo, Ivory Coast, and Equatorial Guinea. The vice-presidents of Sudan, Zambia and Malawi were also present. 

President Mahama first became Head of State last year following the death of President John Evans Atta Mills, who had been nominated candidate of the ruling NDC party by the time he passed on.

Mahama was the vice-president then. Tens of thousands of Ghanaians filled the square, waving miniature national and party flags. A carnival mood filled the air throughout the session.

The president and his running mate Kwesi Bekoe Amissah Arthur were sworn in by Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Woo, who was recently in Kenya as part of the Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board.

Promises

Upon taking oath of office, President Mahama declared: “The promises I have made I intend to keep. I will not let you down. The time for transformation of Ghana has come.” Earlier in the evening, Kalonzo and his delegation held discussions with the president-elect at his residence.

He briefed the Ghanaian leader on the preparation for the March 4 General Election, assuring him that Kenyans were committed to peaceful polls. “We will have peaceful elections and I am sure the outcome will be respected by all,” he told the Ghana president.

President Mahama said Kenya and Ghana enjoyed special relations both in trade and commerce as well as in the practice of democracy. “We all know what happened in 2007/2008 but all that is now behind us. I am sure Kenya will conduct credible, successful and peaceful elections.