The President, Nana Akufo-Addo has left the country for the Ivory Coast and Guinea to attend the inauguration ceremonies of President Alassane Ouattara and President Alpha Condé in their respective countries.

He will proceed to London after the two ceremonies before returning to Ghana. This is according to a statement from the presidency.

“President Akufo-Addo is, on Monday, 14th December, attending the swearing-in ceremony of His Excellency Alassane Ouattara, President-elect of Cote d’Ivoire, in Abidjan, and will, on Tuesday, 14th December 2020, attend the swearing-in ceremony of the President-elect of the Republic of Guinea, His Excellency Professor Alpha Condé,” the statement said.

The President will from 15th December be in London for a private visit, the statement says.

He is accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, MP, and officials of the Presidency and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

President Akufo-Addo will return to Ghana on Monday, 21st December 2020. In his absence, the Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, will, in accordance with Article 60(8) of the Constitution, act in his stead. Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara and Guinea’s President Alpha Condé both won their re-election despite legal challenges against their victories.

While Mr. Ouattara will be sworn in on December 14, Condé will be sworn in on December 15, 2020.

Ouattara obtained 94.2 percent of the votes cast whereas his counterpart Condé polled 59.49 percent during the elections held in October.

Ivory Coast elections
Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara was re-elected to power amidst tension following the approval of a new constitution in 2016 which he claims allows him to restart his mandate.

About 35 people died during clashes between rival political parties in the run-up to the vote and on Election Day, officials said.

Ivory Coast’s Constitutional Council formally ratified President Alassane Ouattara’s re-election to a third term in November.

Guinea’s elections
Guinea’s 2020 election was held on October 18. The polls were held amidst criticisms from opposition parties that Alpha Conde’s decision to contest again was unconstitutional.

The decision by the 82-year-old leader to contest in the 2020 polls after he pushed to change the constitution in March in order to bypass a two-term limit sparked violent protests that killed dozens of people.

Conde won 59.5 percent of the votes but his main challenger Cellou Dalein Diallo and other opposition candidates alleged irregularities in the official results announced.

They proceeded to court but the court said they could not provide evidence of their claim.

Alpha Conde first came to office as president in 2010 and won re-election in 2015. President Condé, 82, will be serving a third 6-year term.