Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has been sworn in following a controversial election victory in December 2012.

On Monday, several African leaders as well as diplomats from the United States and European countries attended the inauguration ceremony held at Black Star Square of the capital Accra.

The opposition boycotted the ceremony, saying the election had been rigged.

After taking the oath, President Mahama said, “We as a country have inherited a powerful legacy, and we are beneficiaries of a mighty history.”

The Ghanaian president won 50.7 percent of the ballots in the December election.

International observers hailed the vote as free and fair in a country that has been called a model of democracy in Africa, but the opposition made allegations of fraud.


Mahama was Ghana’s vice president until the sudden death of former leader John Evans Atta Mills in July, 2012. Since then, he has served as acting president of the country.

Ghana, one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, is the second-largest cocoa producer in the world after neighboring Ivory Coast with a big gold mining industry, which is second only to South Africa.

However, a deep gap still exists between those benefiting from the rich resources and those left behind financially in Ghana.