Ghana's new president, Nana Akufo-Addo, will be sworn in on Saturday after beating incumbent leader John Dramani Mahama in elections last month.

The 72-year-old former human rights lawyer will take the oath of office at a ceremony in Independence Square in central Accra before more than 6,000 guests and members of the public.

Mahama had previously encouraged his citizens to support Akufo-Addo as his successor.

"I stand here today, Mr Speaker, holding the baton of leadership prepared to pass it on with pride, goodwill and determination to Nana Akufo-Addo," said Maham in a farewell address on December 31.

The new president told AFP news agency that after smooth handovers of power in his home country and places such as Nigeria, leaders wanting to stay in office at all costs were "fighting the tide of history".

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During the week of Akufo-Addo's election, beaten president Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia promised to challenge the results of elections that he had previously accepted.

Ghana's elections, which were held on December 7, came in the wake of a weak economy. The country was unhappy with the ruling party. Seven out of 10 Ghanaians believed that the country was headed in the wrong direction, according to the Ghana Center for Democratic Development.

Akufo-Addo has vowed to put the West African nation "back on the path of progress and prosperity" after an economic slump under Mahama that led to an International Monetary Fund bailout.

This week Mahama defended his record, saying his government had been up against "strong headwinds" that caused growth to slow, public sector debt to rise and the cedi currency to fall.