I will hand over when my time is up – Akufo Addo
He further warned that any attempt to malign such institutionalized processes could lead to dangerous and unstable political climates.
President Akufo Addo has offered assurances that he will willingly hand over power at the end of his tenure in 2024.
The President is currently in his second term, having been voted into power on December 7, 2020, and consequently sworn in on January 7, 2021. He is the 5th President of the Fourth Republic.
In an address to participants at the 2021 Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum in Accra on Wednesday, 8th December 2021, the President expressed his commitment to the electoral and democratic systems in the country, adding that he would not act in any way that impedes the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections in the country.
“I will respect the two-term limit for the exercise of presidential authority as stipulated in the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, and I will hand over power to the next elected President on January 7, 2025,” the President emphasized.
He further warned that any attempt to malign such institutionalized processes could lead to dangerous and unstable political climates.
“Let us all be aware that beyond that, the marriage between the elected and the electorate becomes forced. The environment becomes toxic and the mandate becomes precarious.”
“We want to be seen as a positive influence in other African countries who continue to face challenges with democratic consolidation.”
He is currently the Chair of the Economic Community of West African States, having been sworn in as the 35th Chair on 2nd June 2020. The forum, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, adopted in December 2001 offered an opportunity for participating delegates to build and galvanize political support for the advancement of good governance and democracy in West Africa.
Consequently, President Akufo Addo took the occasion to admonish other Heads of State in West Africa to continue in their efforts towards entrenching democratic tenets and laurels in the sub-region.
The forum was attended by over two hundred delegates, some of which included former African Heads of States such as President John Kufour and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
