Nana Akufo-Addo was sworn in Saturday as the new president of Ghana after winning the election a month ago.
Akufo-Addo, 72, defeated incumbent John Dramani Mahama in an election largely focused on the country’s stalling economy.
Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Thousands of people, along with leaders from across Africa, gathered in the Ghanaian capital of Accra to witness the peaceful transfer of power, a rare sight in a region marked by political violence.
The former opposition leader and human rights lawyer Akufo-Addo promised to rebuild the country’s economy by building a factory in each of Ghana’s more than 200 districts.
Akufo-Addo has said he will put Ghana “back on the path of progress and prosperity” after high public debt and inflation forced the country to take a bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund about a year and a half ago.
Earlier this week, Mahama attributed the struggles seen during his presidency to “strong headwinds” that caused Ghana’s currency to falter.