John Mahama Makes Historic Comeback as Ghana’s President, Vows to ‘Reset’ Economy
Ghana’s new president John Mahama secured a huge comeback to the top job eight years after leaving power, tapping into economic frustrations in the gold-producing West African country.
Mahama, who had tried twice before to win back the presidency, was sworn in on Tuesday alongside Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the first woman to become vice president in Ghana.
His win in December 9 elections made him the first president in three decades since the 1992 return to multi-party democracy in Ghana to reclaim the presidency after being voted out.
Mahama, 66, of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, beat Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The economy became a major election issue after Ghana defaulted on its debt and entered into a $3-billion deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Mahama, who served as president from 2012 to 2017, promised to “reset” Ghana, renegotiate parts of the IMF deal and introduce a “24-hour” economy to create jobs, a major concern for many younger voters.
On corruption, Mahama has said he will create a new office tasked with scrutinising government procurement above a $5-million threshold.
