ACCRA - Ghana's President-elect John Dramani Mahama vowed late Monday to "initiate important governance reforms and sometimes severe measures" over the next four years to reset the nation and bring it back on track as "the Black Star of Africa."

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Mahama made the remarks in a speech to thousands of party supporters at his campaign office in the capital of Accra, shortly after being declared by Ghana's Electoral Commission the winner of the 2024 presidential election held on Dec 7.

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"This mandate represents a call to action... This mandate marks a new beginning and sets the tone for a new direction for our beloved country. Ghana is not for one man or one family. It is for all of us, and we must not only be born and die here, but we must all live here with satisfaction," he said in the speech.

Mahama will be sworn into office on Jan 7, 2025.