The ceremony to swear in Nana Akufo-Addo as Ghana’s fifth President under the fourth Republic today, [Saturday] January 7, 2017, has started at the Black Star Square in Accra.
The Vice President-elect, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, will also be sworn-in at the same event.
The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to start at 10:00am, and has the President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, as the special guest of honour, to be supported by Liberian President, Ellen Jonhson Sirleaf.
Former Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, and his deputy, Hassan Joho, are also in attendance at the inauguration ceremony.
According to the NPP, about 11 heads of State including those of Togo, Gabon, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Benin, Nigeria and Guinea are scheduled to grace the event.
As expected, thousands of NPP sympathisers in their red, white and blue colours, are in a jaunty mood as they cheer on their victorious Flagbearer as he assumes the mantle of governance.
Vendors have also converged on the venue to cash in on the day by selling party and Ghanaian paraphernalia.
Security is tight, with about 5,000 security officers deployed to enforce law and order at the venue, along with a number of access to some roads to venue blocked to traffic.
Nana Akufo-Addo secured the presidency after the third time of asking, beating the incumbent, President John Mahama.
Nana Akufo-Addo rode on the back with 53.85 percent of the valid votes cast, to become Ghana’s fifth president under the fourth Republic.
President Mahama, who ran on the ticket of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), secured 44.40 of valid votes cast.
Nana Akufo-Addo hails from a rich political heritage with three of the iconic Big Six, the founding fathers of Ghana, being his relatives.
J.B. Danquah is his grand-uncle; William Ofori-Atta, his uncle and Edward Akufo-Addo, the third Chief Justice of Ghana and later the ceremonial President of the Republic from 1969 to 1972, his father.
Nana Akufo-Addo himself, aged 72, has already served Ghana as the Attorney General and then as Foreign Minister in the John Kufuor-led NPP government from 2000 to 2008.
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Photos: Godwin Allotey
By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana