Ghana President Mills dies, VP takes over

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Ghana’s President John Evans Atta Mills speaks during a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington March 8, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Joshua Roberts

Ghana’s President John Atta Mills, who won international praise for presiding over a stable model democracy in Africa, died suddenly on Tuesday and his vice-president was quickly sworn in to replace him at the helm of the oil, gold and cocoa producer.

Mills had celebrated his 68th birthday on Saturday and his unexpected death came months before he was due to stand for re-election in December as head of the world’s No. 2 cocoa grower, which is also a major African gold producer.

“It is with a heavy heart … that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the Republic of Ghana,” the president’s office said. It added that Mills had died a few hours after being taken ill, but gave no further details.

A presidential aide, who asked not to be named, said the president had complained of pains on Monday evening and had died early on Tuesday afternoon when his condition worsened.

In line with Ghana’s constitution, Vice-President John Dramani Mahama, who is 53, took the oath of office as head of state before a somber parliament hours after the announcement of Mills’ death. Mahama will serve as caretaker president until the elections at the end of the year.

Analysts hailed this as a sign that the country’s political institutions were solid and working smoothly.

“With Ghana’s reputation for stability, having seen two peaceful transitions in government following elections in 2000 and 2008, the strength of Ghana’s institutions are likely to see the country in good stead,” said Razia Khan, head of Africa research at Standard Chartered.

“As such, market volatility related to near-term uncertainty is likely to be limited,” she added.

Amid swirling rumors about his ill health, Mills had returned from medical checks in the United States a few weeks ago. Some reports by local newspapers speculated he had throat cancer, other reports mentioned a sinus-related affliction.

Ghana’s election commission said December’s presidential and parliamentary elections would go ahead as planned.

Some analysts questioned whether Mills’ death might open up a presidential candidacy battle inside the ruling National Democratic Congress party before the elections. The party will hold an emergency congress to elect a new presidential candidate to contest the vote.

“Elections will have to be held soon and one does not know what the new president will decide, in particular in terms of resource nationalism. Elections are always a factor of instability in Africa,” said Martin Bauwens, managing director of Johannesburg-based mine consultancy MJB Consulting.

Producers in Africa’s second largest gold producer have raised concerns about government moves to raise the corporate mining tax to 35 percent from 25 percent and to introduce a 10 percent windfall tax as well.

Ghana’s state and private radio and TV channels suspended regular programming and played patriotic songs between messages of condolence, urging Ghanaians to unite in a time of grief.

U.S. President Barack Obama, who had received Mills in the Oval Office in March and praised him and his country as “a good-news story” in Africa, also sent his condolences.

“He helped promote economic growth in Ghana in the midst of challenging global circumstances and strengthened Ghana’s strong tradition of democracy … He was also a strong advocate for human rights and for the fair treatment of all Ghanaians,” Obama said in a statement from the White House.

Trained as a lawyer and taxation expert, Mills had overseen Ghana’s emergence as one of Africa’s newest oil producers two years ago, earning respect at home and abroad for his economic policies and commitment to democracy and good governance.

Ghana has seen democratic elections decide its leadership no fewer than four times since the last military coup in 1981, a rare feat in a region where power is still just as often determined by the bullet as by the ballot.

The new caretaker president, Mahama, has just published a book entitled “My First Coup d’Etat: And Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa”, a memoir of his early years in the often turbulent events that followed Ghana’s 1957 independence from Britain.
[Source: Reuters]

28 COMMENTS

  4. Old soldier RIP you made your country proud and put back Ghana on the world. Old but wise and hope the new crop of young Ghanians can carry on with the fight…

    A true statesman from which the CNP can lean from. But again one needs brains to learn.

  6. Ghana has lost a great leader and statesman and we hope and pray that his successor will follow in his footsteps. I have always likened Ghana’s stability and progress to that of my mother’s country Botswana.

  9. The man was wise and humble.
    He was a leader.
    Ghana is making progress and is a stable country.
    May his soul rest in eternal peace.

  10. May his sould rest in eteral peace. He was a man who understod the importance of God’s word and prayed for his country Ghana. May the hand of God be seen over that country.

  11. He was a good man and a gentleman par excellency! May His Soul Rest in Perfect Peace. Condolences to the nation of Ghana on this loss.

  12. A very proud African Ghanian man who died in his own country’s hospital. A very humble man he was indeed. MHSRIP!

  13. I WILL MISS YOU.YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN BORN IN ZAMBIA TO TEACHER ZAMBIAN LEADERSHIP SERVANTHOOD.BUT WHAT CAN WE DO?

  15. Whats’ with hiding illments amongst african leaders?You just hide yourselves from a cure and prayers.After all we finally come to know what has killed you(lesson to CNP).

  17. What a loss!!! He was a very humble president and he knew what he was doing and one who really deserved the title “His Excellency”. May his soul rest in eternal peace. Sincere condolences to his family and to all Ghanaians.

  20. Vice-President takes over… thats a better constitution than Zambia’s which calls for by-elections. And it would be a contangal if God decided that in Zambia, because umusungu wesu isn’t qualified to take over presidency.
    You people end-up with Wynter Kabimba or Never Mumba.

  21. MY EYES ARE STILL FILLED WITH TEARS. MY HUMBLE AND ASTUTE PRESIDENT WHO ALWAYS MENTIONED GOD IN ALL ENDEAVOURS IS NOW GONE AND NEVER TO RETURN AGAIN. IT REMINDS ME OF 1999 WHEN THE WHOLE OF TANZANIA WAS THROWN TO TEARS WHEN JULIUS NYERERE, THE MAN THEY REFERRED TO AS “MWALIMO” (TEACHER) DIED. SUCH HAS BEEN THE DEMISE OF DEAR PRESIDENT. MAY HE REST WITH OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. AMEN !

  22. Our Father, who art in Shimwalule, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, in Zambia as it is in Ghana. Give us this day a state funeral. And grant us our wishes, as we seek revenge for Ukwa’s trespasses against us. And lead us not into inaction, but deliver us from tribal bigotry and re-alignments. For his is the Ukwa, the Pamberi and the Chimbwi NP, for ever and ever. Amen

  23. Immediately his death was announced, parliament swore-in the Vice President..no time wasted in announcing lengthy 21 day national mourning dates, immediate succession is paramount as it is the highest public office in the land and the president’s health should also public. Its high time our African President became more forthcoming with their health complications to avoid speculation like was case in Ghana and is also the case now with Sata who is always going AWOL. I hope our legislators and leaders are taking notes.
    MHSRIP .  

  24. Every time an African gov’t is about to implement new mining polices like Windfall taxes or Corporation taxes, tragic strikes, 10% windfall on gold is a very health and fair sum for the  treasury of any Gold producer, especially when world gov’ts are carrying on with quantitive easing programmes, the more the value of the lucrative gold will shoot up to $2000 from $1600 per bullion at the end of the year… is the greedy white devil at work here? Mwanawasa was so close to introducing it; now look at how much they have made since his very untimely departure to date, billions of untaxed dollars, going to their tax havens.
    I hope the new president will be steadfast and carry on the same path and we not be swayed like our former president BUFFOON RB by the invincible hand. 

  25. CONT’D
    Or swayed like Sata and the current PF gov’t which was a champion of windfall tax during elections campaigns and in opposition but immediately changed its mind within the first week of getting into office.
    Ghana is a very progressive country with forwarding thinking intelligent leaders and legislators whom will should emulate and benchmark our policies against theirs; if it can propose to introduce windfall tax why shouldn’t we; if it has introduced Dual citizenship and its a more populous country than Zambia’s 13m why shouldn’t we…
    Wake up people!

  26. God only knows, may He receive you in His arms. You were indeed a true Statesmen and not only your country men were proud of you, we all in Africa were proud of you Sir. Go well and all we can do is to look to God and ask Him to look after the great Nation of Ghana in these trying times.

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