- Details about the cause of his death have not been released, but Mr Atta Mills died this afternoon at the 37th Military Hospital in Accra
- The president celebrated his 68th birthday on Saturday and was poised to seek re-election later this year
15:45 EST, 24 July 2012
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15:48 EST, 24 July 2012
Announcement: John Atta Mills died this afternoon at the 37th Military Hospital in Accra (file photo)
Ghanian President John Atta Mills has died suddenly just days after celebrating his 68th birthday.
Chief of staff John Henry Martey Newman addressed the nation on state-run television stations, saying that Mr Atta Mills died on Tuesday afternoon at the 37th Military Hospital in Accra. He gave no details about the cause of death.
Information minister Fritz Baffour also declined to elaborate, but said: ‘Yes, I can confirm (his death), but I can’t say more.’
The president turned 68 on Saturday.
He ran three times for president before being elected in the closest vote in Ghana’s history on a platform vowing to reform the west African country.
He was poised to seek re-election later this year.
He travelled to the United States in March and met with US President Barack Obama at the White House.
He also travelled to the US in April, as rumours about his health began to circulate in Ghana.
He was elected in a 2008 run-off vote and was to run for a second term in December.
He campaigned on a platform of change, arguing that the western African country’s growth had not been felt in people’s wallets.
‘People are complaining. They’re saying that their standard of living has deteriorated these past eight years,’ he said.
Campaigning: A file picture taken on December 4, 2004 shows then-leader of the Ghanian opposition and presidential candidate John Atta Mills waving to his supporters upon his arrival to a meeting in Accra
‘So if Ghana is a model of growth, it’s not translating into something people can feel.’
The 2008 election was the third time that Mr Atta Mills had run for president.
He spent much of his career teaching at the University of Ghana.
He earned a doctorate from London’s School of Oriental and African Studies before becoming a Fulbright scholar at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
Prime Minister David Cameron tonight said he was deeply saddened to hear about his death.
Mr Cameron paid tribute to the politician, describing him as a “tireless defender of democracy.’
He said: ‘I was deeply saddened to hear about the death of President Mills earlier today.
“President Mills was a tireless defender of democracy in west Africa and across the continent, and he will be greatly missed.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family, and all the Ghanaian people on this difficult day.’
John Dramani Mahama was sworn in as Ghana’s new president just hours after his death.
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