Ghana's President Atta Mills Dead

Ghana's President is dead | he suffered from throat cancer

2012-07-24T16:29:00.002-07:00

Ghana's President is dead. Atta Mills went to the US in June to receive medical treatment.
He returned to Ghana - and continued attending official functions. However, he rarely spoke in public. He died on Tuesday July 24th in his home country Ghana.

Mr Atta Mills described himself as a social democrat

2012-07-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

Mr Atta Mills described himself as a social democrat who leaned broadly on independence leader Kwame Nkrumah's idea of social welfare. Once in power he started an austerity programme and presided over Ghana's first commercial oil production, promising that - unlike some African countries - his government would spend the newfound oil revenue responsibly.

John Dramani Mahama, his vice-president, has been sworn in

2012-07-24T15:11:00.001-07:00

John Dramani Mahama, Atta Mills vice-president, has been sworn in as his replacement in a ceremony in the capital.
A statement from his office said the 68-year-old died a few hours after being taken ill, but did not give details. Mr Atta Mills had ruled the West African country since 2009.
"It is with a heavy heart... that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the Republic of Ghana," the president's office statement said.
(John Dramani Mahama -right )

Ghana's President Atta Mills Dead

2012-07-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

Ghana's President Atta Mills Dead. He fell unconscious on Tuesday afternoon and was sent to the 37th Military Hospital in Accra Ghana.

Ghana's President Atta Mills Died Whiles Still in Office

2012-07-24T11:53:00.001-07:00

Ghana's President Atta Mills Died Whiles Still in Office. On 21 December 2006,Ghana's President Atta Mills was overwhelmingly elected by the NDC as its candidate for the 2008 presidential election with a majority of 81.4% (1,362 votes), far ahead of his opponents, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, and Eddie Annan.In 2008, he was elected president of Ghana, after a keenly contested three round election. He died on 24 July 2012 while still in office.

Ghana's President Atta Mills suffered from throat cancer.

2012-07-24T11:43:00.001-07:00

Ghana's President Atta Mills suffered from throat cancer.Though the cause of death was not immediately released, he had been suffering from throat cancer and had recently been to the U.S. for medical reasons.

President Atta Mills Died at the 37 Military Hospital Accra

2012-07-24T11:18:00.003-07:00

President Atta Mills Died was Vice-President from 1997 to 2001 under President Jerry Rawlings, and stood unsuccessfully in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections as the candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). He died on 24 July 2012 at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.

President of Ghana John Evans Fifii Atta Mills Dead

2012-07-24T11:18:00.002-07:00

President of Ghana John Evans Fifii Atta Mills (21 July 1944 – 24 July 2012) was the third President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the ruling party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2008 election.

Ghana's President Atta Mills died at age 68

2012-07-24T11:18:00.001-07:00

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — John Atta Mills, who was elected president in the closest vote in Ghana's history and then led the West African country amid newfound oil wealth, died Tuesday just months before the end of his first term. He was 68.
Ghanaian state-run television stations GTV and TV3 broke into regular programming to announce the president's death. Chief of Staff John Henry Martey Newman told the nation that Atta Mills had died Tuesday afternoon at the 37th Military Hospital in Accra but gave no details about the cause of his death.
Information Minister Fritz Baffour later confirmed that Atta Mills had died but also declined to comment further.
According to state-run media, Ghana's parliament was to hold an emergency meeting immediately.
The president celebrated his 68th birthday Saturday. Atta Mills served as president as Ghana began grappling with how to deal with its newfound oil wealth from offshore fields discovered in the last five years. The country, whose economy has been fueled by gold, cocoa and timber exports in the past, hopes to put the oil money to good use, mindful of how nearby Nigeria suffered through military dictatorships and widespread corruption over its oil wealth.
Atta Mills traveled to the United States in March and met for a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House. He also traveled to the U.S. in April as well, as rumors about his health began to circulate Ghana.
A government official in neighboring Ivory Coast said that he saw Atta Mills around six months ago in Ethiopia during an African Union meeting.

Ghana President Atta Mills Biography

2012-07-24T11:02:00.001-07:00

Ghana President Atta Mills Dead

2012-07-24T10:20:00.002-07:00

Ghana's President John Atta Mills has died unexpectedly, a presidential statement said, and an aide said his death occurred on Tuesday after he took ill on Monday night.
The death of the president of the world's No. 2 cocoa grower comes months before Mills was due to stand for re-election at the helm of the West African country that posted double-digit growth in 2011 and has been praised for its strong democracy in a turbulent region.
"It is with a heavy heart...that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the Republic of Ghana," a statement sent to Reuters by the president's office said.
It said that Mills, 68, died a few hours after being taken ill but no further details were given.
A presidential aide, who asked not to be named, said the president had complained of pains on Monday evening and died early on Tuesday afternoon when his condition worsened.
Mills, who oversaw the start of oil production in Ghana, returned from medical checks in the United States several weeks ago.

2012-07-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Ghana's President John Atta Mills has died unexpectedly, a presidential statement said, and an aide said his death occurred on Tuesday after he took ill on Monday night.
The death of the president of the world's No. 2 cocoa grower comes months before Mills was due to stand for re-election at the helm of the West African country that posted double-digit growth in 2011 and has been praised for its strong democracy in a turbulent region.
"It is with a heavy heart...that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the Republic of Ghana," a statement sent to Reuters by the president's office said.
It said that Mills, 68, died a few hours after being taken ill but no further details were given.
A presidential aide, who asked not to be named, said the president had complained of pains on Monday evening and died early on Tuesday afternoon when his condition worsened.
Mills, who oversaw the start of oil production in Ghana, returned from medical checks in the United States several weeks ago.

Ghana's President John Atta Mills

2012-07-24T10:19:00.003-07:00

Ghana's President John Atta Mills, who has died at the age of 68, was known to his supporters as "The Prof" - a reference to his long academic career.

Born on 21 July 1944 at Tarkwa in western Ghana, Mr Atta Mills graduated in law at the University of Ghana in 1967 before studying further at the London School of Economics and receiving a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies.
Mr Atta Mills later branched out into politics, becoming president after beating Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2008 elections.
It was third time lucky for Mr Atta Mills - the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party - in his campaign to become president.

Keen hockey player
He lost twice before - in the 2000 and 2009 election, and had been ridiculed by the opposition as a lackey of former Ghanaian military ruler Jerry Rawlings..