President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday joined several African leaders in Republic of the Congo for the inauguration of President Denis Sassou N’Guesso for another five-year term in office.
The ceremony, held in the town of Kintélé, drew a large crowd and featured the attendance of former Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
President Sassou N’Guesso, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, first came to power in 1979 through a military-backed administration. Although he lost office after multi-party elections in 1992, he returned to power in 1997 following a civil war and has remained in office since.
A constitutional referendum in 2015 removed age and term limits, allowing him to continue contesting presidential elections.
The Republic of the Congo has a population of about 6.6 million people and an economy largely driven by oil exports, which account for the majority of government revenue and foreign exchange earnings.
Its capital, Brazzaville, remains the country’s main political and economic centre.
President Mahama has since returned to Ghana after attending the ceremony.
