Nana Akufo-Addo
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (/æˈkʊfoʊ ɑːˈdoʊ/ ⓘ a-KUUF-oh ah-DOH; born 29 March 1944) is a Ghanaian politician who has served as the president of Ghana since 2017. He previously served as Attorney General from 2001 to 2003 and as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2007 under the Kufuor-led administration.
Nana Akufo-Addo | |
|---|---|
Akufo-Addo in 2020 | |
| 5th President of Ghana | |
| Assumed office 7 January 2017 | |
| Vice President | Mahamudu Bawumia |
| Preceded by | John Mahama |
| 35th Chair of the Economic Community of West African States | |
| In office 2 June 2020 – 3 July 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Mahamadou Issoufou |
| Succeeded by | Umaro Sissoco Embaló |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 1 April 2003 – 1 July 2007 | |
| President | John Kufuor |
| Preceded by | Hackman Owusu-Agyeman |
| Succeeded by | Akwasi Osei-Adjei |
| Attorney General of Ghana | |
| In office 7 January 2001 – 1 April 2003 | |
| President | John Kufuor |
| Preceded by | Obed Asamoah |
| Succeeded by | Papa Owusu-Ankomah |
| Member of Parliament for Akim Abuakwa South | |
| In office 7 January 2005 – 6 January 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Atta Akyea |
| Member of Parliament for Abuakwa | |
| In office 7 January 1997 – 6 January 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo 29 March 1944 Accra, Gold Coast (now Ghana) |
| Political party | New Patriotic Party |
| Spouses | Remi Fani-Kayode (divorced)Eleanor Nkansah-Gyamenah
(died) |
| Children | 5 |
| Parents | |
| Residence | Jubilee House |
| Education | |
| Website | Campaign website |
Akufo-Addo first ran for president in 2008 and again in 2012, both times as the candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He lost on both occasions to National Democratic Congress' candidates: John Evans Atta Mills in 2008 and John Dramani Mahama in 2012. After the 2012 general elections, he refused to concede and proceeded to court to challenge the electoral results, but the Supreme Court of Ghana affirmed Mahama's victory.
He was chosen as the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party for a third time for the 2016 general elections, and this time he defeated incumbent Mahama in the first round (winning with 53.85% of the votes), which marked the first time in a Ghanaian presidential election that an opposition candidate won a majority outright in the first round. It was also the first time that an opposition candidate had unseated an incumbent president. He again secured an outright majority in the first round of the 2020 general elections (winning with 51.59% of the vote), defeating Mahama for a second time.
Akufo-Addo's Government initially drew broad popularity from the Ghanaian public; promoting a nationalistic 'Ghana beyond aid' agenda. The latter part of his tenure has however been mired by the worst financial crises in a generation, with inflation reaching up to 40%. His Government has attributed this to the Russo-Ukrainian War and the COVID-19 pandemic, however neutral observers point to mismanagement of public funds. Press freedom has also significantly deteriorated under his tenure with Ghana dropping from having the freest media environment in Africa in 2018 to 13th in the 2022 global press freedom ranking by Reporters without Borders (RSF). His government has been largely described as nationalistic, nepotistic and populist.