By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama has congratulated his Congolese counterpart, Denis Sassou N’Guesso on his inauguration for a fifth term in office.
The 82-year-old leader during his swearing-in on Thursday promised development and jobs for young people.
Mahama was one of the African leaders to attend the inauguration that followed N’Guesso election, in which he won the first round of the poll with 94.90 percent of the vote.
Mahama departed Accra on Wednesday shortly after launching his administration’s flagship Free Primary Healthcare Programme at the Shai-Osudoku District Hospital in Dodowa.
“Congratulations to my brother, President Denis Sassou N’gueso, and the people of Congo on your investiture for a new 5-year term”, Mahama who is serving a second term as the coal-rich West African nation said in a social media post.
Observers, including those from the African Union, praised the “peaceful and orderly” conduct of the electoral process.
N’Guesso ran against six other candidates who alleged “fraud and a low” turnout.
Sassou N’Guesso, who ran on the platform of Congolese Party of Labor, first came to power in 1979 and ruled until 1992 when he organized the country’s first multi-party elections. He returned to power as a militia leader following a four-month civil war in 1997.
During his election campaign, N’Guesso underlined his economic record, having pushed to modernise the country’s infrastructure and develop the gas and agriculture sectors in a bid to make Congo self-sufficient.
