The ex-vice president took over on Sunday from Ian Khama, who stepped down after his term limit – 10 years – was reached. Elections are scheduled for next year.

In his first address to the nation, Masisi vowed to focus on tackling unemployment, which stands at about 20 percent.

“Botswana faces a myriad of challenges, such as unemployment, poverty, crime, HIV/AIDs, alcohol and drug abuse, amongst others,” he said.

“Therefore, my top priorities as a president of this country will be to address the problem of unemployment, especially among the young people who constitute to the majority of our population.”

Donald Rasikela, one of those unemployed listening to that speech, told Al Jazeera that he hoped the president would live up to his word.

“My expectation is that he will improve government efficiency in order to create job opportunities for the youth,” he said.

“I hope he will improve social services to deal with employment.”

Some opposition members of parliament skipped the event, partly because of a rare corruption scandal that involves the national petroleum fund.

Those who did attend say they need to keep the president and his government honest.

“We are going to continue playing our oversight role, continue to seek more clarity from the president in terms of the way forward … how he intends to deal with unemployment because this country has been experiencing what we call jobless growth,” Phenyo Butale, an opposition politician, told Al Jazeera.

Vote next year

Masisi has 18 months to assert his authority within the ruling Democratic party before national elections in October 2019.

Botswana gets to choose its members of parliament and then the party with the majority of votes in turn elects a president. Masisi hopes to be that man.

“Many people are saying that they don’t think that the new president is going to move very far from former president Ian Khama’s socialist policies,” said Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi, reporting from Botswana’s capital, Gaborone.

“Khama was concerned with poverty eradication particularly in rural areas. So people expect that President Masisi will keep in line with that but they also hope he’ll have his own ideas and vision.”

His first test will be this week when he names his vice president and cabinet.

Botswana has enjoyed strong economic growth and a stable multi-party system since gaining independence from the United Kingdom just over 50 years ago.

It is one of the world’s largest producers of diamonds, but Masisi believes the country is too reliant on the gem and wants to diversify trade.

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Source: Aljazeera

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Akufo-Addo polled 5,716,026 of votes representing  53.85 percent against his fiercest rival and incumbent President, John Dramani Mahama’s  4,731,277 votes.

The son of a former President of Ghana (ceremonial 1969 – 1972),  he was born in Accra some seventy-two years ago in  Nima, a suburb of Accra.

He started his education at the Government Boys School, Adabraka – Accra, and later at the Rowe Road School, now known as Kinbu Secondary Technical School also in Accra.

He proceeded to England for his O and A level education before returning to Ghana in 1962.

He served as a teacher at Accra Academy Secondary School for about a year before proceeding to the University of Ghana, Legon to read Economics in 1964.

Nana Akufo-Addo proceeded to study law in the United Kingdom and was subsequently called to the English and Ghanaian Bar in 1971 and 1975 respectively.

Before then, he had relocated to France where he practised law for about five years.

In 1975, he returned to Ghana to pursue his legal career with a private firm before co-founding a law firm; Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co.

He is named in Ghana’s history as championing the cause of human rights, rule of law and justice in the country in the 1980s.

Akufo Addo entered mainstream politics serving as the General Secretary of the People’s Movement for Freedom and Justice (PMFJ) that sought to champion the freedom and rights of Ghanaians.

He is credited with working to restore multiparty democratic rule in Ghana in 1979 through a campaign against a referendum for a one-party military-led State.

In 1991, he was the chairman of the Organising Committee of the Danquah-Busia Memorial Club; dedicated to the preservation of the memory and ideals of the two great advocates of Ghanaian democracy, J. B. Danquah and K.A. Busia, Prime Minister of the Progress Party government of the 2nd Republic of Ghana.

The clubs, established across the country subsequently became the branches for the now New Patriotic Party.

In 1992 when Ghana held its first democratic elections, he was named the first national organiser of the NPP and, later that year, campaign manager of the party’s first presidential candidate, Prof. Albert Adu Boahen.

His interest in establishing further promoting his views on democracy in Ghana saw him establish and fund The Statesman newspaper.

From 1996 to 2008, he served as the Member of Parliament for the Abuakwa South Constituency of the Eastern Region and later served as an Attorney General and Minister of Justice between 2001 and 2007 under the erstwhile John Kufour Presidency.

Under the Kufour-administration, he also served as a Foreign Minister.

In 2008, he made an attempt at ascending the Presidential seat in Ghana but lost to the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) John Evans Atta-Mills.

His second attempt against John Mahama of the NDC after the demise of John Evans Mills was unsuccessful. Although he disputed the results of the elections in the Supreme Court, the results were upheld.

He however, won the elections with some 53.85% of valid votes cast in the December 2016 polls against President John Mahama’s 44.40% when the latter sought reelection for a second term in office.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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