Accra — John Agyekum Kufuor has been sworn in as the fourth president of Ghana in a colourful ceremony attended by four west African heads of state and the deputy president of South Africa, as well as the outgoing Ghanaian leader, Jerry Rawlings.
In a wide-ranging inaugural address, the new president called on Ghanaians abroad to come home and help rebuild the nation. He again pledged to fight graft, saying there would be "zero tolerance" for corruption in Ghana and that he would set a personal example for his fellow Ghanaians.
To the business community, in and outside the country, Kufuors smiling invitation was: "Ghana is open for business, come in and lets do business". To the world community, whom Kufuor called "our foreign friends", he called for debt relief.
Resplendent in traditional hand-woven kente cloth, Kufuor and his vice president, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, watched by their wives Aba Theresa and Hajia Ramatu, swore allegiance to the nation and to God and Allah respectively. The inauguration was on the forecourt at Parliament House in Accra and immediately followed the swearing in of the new parliament and the election of a new parliamentary speaker, Peter Adjetey.
Afterwards, the celebrations moved to the nearby Independence Square, where Kufuor addressed the nation, the diplomatic corps and the visitors. Presidents Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo and Olusegun Obasanjo were present for the inauguration. Senior delegations from several other neighbouring countries, as well as others from elsewhere in Africa and beyond were also present.
Disorganization and limited space on the forecourt at Parliament meant that several dignitaries, including the delegation from Ivory Coast led by the foreign minister, Abou Dramane Sangare, had to wait before finally being seated.
After sitting in an impromptu extra row of chairs with his fellow ministers, Sangare, as head of delegation, was eventually invited to mount onto the dais with the presidents and vice-presidents. Kufuors five grown-up children were never found seats and were among many who had to stand through the swearing-in and the wait before it.
Addressing enthusiastic crowds at Independence Square, Ghanas new leader touched on a number of topics in his speech which spoke to all Ghanaians at home and especially those abroad. "Never again should Ghanaians have to resort to dubious means to get to, or live in, foreign lands, simply to make a living," said Kufuor. "And certainly never again should Ghanaians have to seek political asylum anywhere in the world".
He said those who had left Ghana because of the "military revolution" or political differences should come home. "I say come back. Come back home where you belong and let us join in building a new Ghana". He pledged that those who returned from exile would never be replaced by another set of Ghanaians leaving the country to go into exile, because "multiparty democracy is here to stay". Kufuor said that a new culture of political tolerance now existed in Ghana which allowed, and would not punish, differences of opinion.
Kufuor told the nation that Ghana needed the expertise of those who had left the country and made a special plea for their help: "We need your newly acquired skills and contacts, we need your perspective and we need your capital".
Ghanas new president also appealed to the international community for its understanding. He called for debt forgiveness to help jumpstart the ailing economy. Kufuor argued that Ghana was currently spending a quarter of all its annual revenue on servicing its debt, a burden which he said was not sustainable and would dampen the enthusiasm of Ghanaians if they could not feel the dividends of democracy.
"It is imperative that our people see concrete evidence that democracy is more than sweet words. They should see that there is a difference in their lives. They need to be freed from poverty, hunger and disease and this should be done in conditions of freedom," said Kufuor.
He again courted foreign and domestic investment, acknowledging that Ghana faced grave challenges with the economy. He said his new New Patriotic Party administration had pledged to cut waste, fight corruption and bring prosperity to Ghana by creating wealth. Kufuor said the best way forward was through the private sector and that Ghana was open for business.
President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria was the guest of honour at the inauguration, and arrived with a large delegation. In a speech, to a packed audience of dignitaries and thousands of ordinary Ghanaians at Independence Square in Accra, Obasanjo said Ghana could learn from the democratic experience of Nigeria.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
He praised Ghanaians for a job well done, but cautioned them not to expect change overnight, saying this was only the beginning. "You have to be patient," warned the Nigerian leader, adding that change had to be nurtured and that the democratic process needed consistency and the persistent vigilance of all citizens.
Obasanjo told Kufuor that, as president, he would have to inspire all Ghanaians with a spirit of patriotism to achieve their goals, concluding that Ghana was a great nation with the potential to become a star of Africa. Obasanjo asked for Gods blessings for a brighter future, a brighter century and a brighter millennium for Ghanaians.
In an interview with AllAfrica.com, President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, echoed Obasanjos good wishes for Ghana and Ghanaians. Compaore, Obasanjo and the deputy president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, all paid homage to Kufuor and to former President Rawlings for a smooth transition of power and the efficient manner in which the outgoing and incoming leaders had handled the democratic process in Ghana.
