Africa-Press – Ghana. President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday joined other African leaders to witness the investiture of Congo’s President Denis Sassou N’Guesso for a new five-year term.
The colourful ceremony took place in a packed stadium in Kintélé, a town north of the capital city of Brazzaville.
President Sassou N’Guesso, born in 1943, is the third-longest serving African leader, after Cameroon’s President Paul Biya and Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
President N’ Guesso was installed as president by the military in 1979 but lost his position in the first multi-party elections in 1992.
He, however, returned to power in 1997 after a brief civil war.
A 2015 referendum removed presidential age limits and term limits, allowing him to remain eligible for office.
Congo Brazzaville is a Central African nation with a 2021 GDP of $18.875 billion, heavily reliant on petroleum, which constitutes the majority of its exports.
The capital is Brazzaville, located on the Congo River.
It gained independence from France on August 15, 1960.
The Presidential republic has a bicameral parliament with a 72-seat Senate and 151-seat National Assembly.
Its population is estimated at 6.64 million, with 69.7% of the population living in urban areas, primarily in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire.
Its economy is dominated by the petroleum sector, which typically accounts for nearly 90% of export earnings.
Other industries include timber, cement, and brewing.
President Mahama has since returned home.
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