My last major challenge is presiding over peaceful, fair elections and 'willingly step down as president on Jan 7, 2025 — Akufo-Addo

Hosting some senior citizens to mark the 2024 Founders’ Day on Monday in Accra, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo told them it has been the greatest honour of his life to have served as president not once, but twice and that “I will willingly step down as president on 7th January [2025].

“I do so because I will be in good company, that of Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor, who in the fourth republic have been privileged by the people of Ghana to serve two terms as president of the republic”.

Amidst food and beautiful tunes of Ghanaian music, President Akufo-Addo and other government officials as well as the senior citizens took to the floor to dance.

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President Akufo-Addo indicated that in the last seven years as President steered the ship of the state through the deeply troubled times of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. 

“It's been a very difficult time, but I believe most of us can see that we are now turning the corner and returning our economy back to normalcy and revive growth, the growth that made our economy one of the fastest growing economies in the world in the years prior to the outbreak of the COVID pandemic” he added.

He assured that just as the country did it in the past, it would do it again. 

Last Challenge 

President Akufo-Addo said his last major challenge was to preside over peaceful and fair elections in December 2024.

He explained that this was a commitment that with the help of all Ghanaians he intend to realise because the people of Ghana deserve no less than to be given the best atmosphere in which to choose freely their next president and parliament. 

“I intend to ensure that our reputation as the beacon of democracy and stability in Africa and the world is maintained,” he assured.

He said he was aware that there were some Ghanaians who questioned his commitment to this ceremony, that is 4th August as Founders’ Day, “because they believe that we were all asleep in Ghana until the arrival of Kwame Nkrumah and the CPP”.

He noted that he had already stated his views on that several times, including in his speech last Saturday evening and did not intend to go over that matter again.

“Suffice it to say that I believe that the consensus that parliament arrived at in 2019, honouring Kwame Nkrumah with a memorial day and preserving the historical importance and significance of August 4th in our history is a good consensus, and it deserves to last,” President Akufo-Addo explained. 

He commended Ghanaians for their work for the country and their support for him as president and expressed the hope that the same support would be provided to my successor, noting that “It is no secret, who I hope that will be. And I hope the people of Ghana will agree with me”.