Akufo-Addo, a 66-year-old former lawyer, narrowly lost the
most recent election in a run off with rival John Atta Mills, who was sworn in
as president in January 2009.
“I promise I will not let you down this time — we are coming
back in 2012 to redeem Ghana,” he said in his victory speech late on Saturday
after the New Patriotic Party declared he had won its nomination.
Ghana, one of just a few sub-Saharan countries with a Euro
bond, is on track to become an oil producer at the end of this year with the
start up of its offshore Jubilee field.
The country is already the world’s second largest producer
of cocoa and Africa’s second biggest gold miner, and has projected economic
growth over 20 percent next year.
Mills’ government has overseen a steep drop in the pace of
inflation since last year that has paved the way for a series of interest rate
cuts.
US President Barack Obama chose Ghana for his first visit to
sub-Saharan Africa last year, citing the country’s strong democratic
credentials.
