Ghana’s main opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo has won the presidency in his third run for the office.

State broadcaster Ghana Television said on Friday that the president, John Mahama, had conceded defeat in a telephone call that Akufo-Addo confirmed soon after.

“A few minutes ago, I received a call from President @JDMahama congratulating me on winning the 2016 Presidential Election,” he tweeted.

The country’s election commission said Akufo-Addo received 53.8% of the vote, with Mahama on 44.4%.

Mahama became president in July 2012 after the sudden death of the incumbent leader and was elected later in the year.



Before Wednesday’s election, the opposition had emphasised Ghana’s high unemployment levels and underperforming GDP growth rates to appeal to frustrated voters.

Mahama defended his record, hingeing his campaign on plans to boost economic growth and continue modest gains in infrastructure development.

A change in government, he said, would reverse the progress made over the past four years.

Elections in Ghana have been peaceful since the country moved from military rule to democracy in 1992.