•President Edgar Lungu chatting with Gabonese President Ali Bongo (right) during the inauguration ceremony of Ghanaian President Nana Addo Akurfo at Black Star Stadium in Ghana yesterday Picture by SUNDAY BWALYA/ZANIS

From Chimangeni Banda in Accra, Ghana  –
President Edgar Lungu says Ghana is a testament that democracy in Africa is alive and well-entrenched for other African countries to embrace.
President Lungu said Ghana has demonstrated to the world that Democracy in Africa is an inherent way of life worth emulating by other African countries.
He said Ghana’s veritable democracy of holding successful elections and having a peaceful transition of power is a mark worth emulating by other African countries.
He said this in Ghana where he joined several African and World leaders and dignitaries attending the inauguration ceremony of Nana Addo as President of Ghana, held at the Black Star Square.
Among the countries represented were Kenya, Algeria, Benin, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Chad and, Nigeria among others.
The Black Star Square in the Ghanaian capital city was turned into Parliament to facilitate the inauguration of Nana Addo as President of Ghana.
The inauguration also served as the first meeting of the first session of the seventh parliament of the fourth republic of Ghana.
Ghana, which gained independence in 1957 from Britain has fallen to military regimes on three occasions but strikingly returned to democracy on four occasions.
The Black Star Square was besieged by a sea of people clad in red, white and blue,  the colours of Mr Addo’s New Patriotic Party under whose ticket he won the December 6, 2016 elections, being his third attempt after failing in 2008  and 2012.
Meanwhile, Ghanaian Chief Justice Georgina Wood swore in Mr Addo and his Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia at 11:05 hrs local time amid a twenty one gun salute and salutations from visiting heads of State.
Delivering his inauguration speech, a spiritually moved President Addo declared to Ghanaians that “this is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it”.
Mr Addo pledged to actualize his campaign promises of social economic transformation through job and wealth creation.
“A new door has opened in Ghana to change things and advance the country for the benefit of all citizens” said Mr Addo.
He assured the people of Ghana that he will work round the clock to restore public confidence in all public institutions.
Mr Addo maintained that the economy will remain led by the private sector in order to steer Ghana to the next level in the global village .

Meanwhile, President Addo urged Ghanaians to put the country first and believe in themselves that they can do anything to advance Ghana’s contemporary development agenda.
“I will not let you down the people of Ghana “ he said.
Mr Addo paid tribute to his predecessor John Mahama for serving Ghana with distinguished leadership.
Speaking on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf praised Ghana’s democracy and called for enhanced regional integration.
Ivorian President Allassane Quattara said there was need for Africa to rid itself of undemocratic tendencies and work towards the betterment of its citizenry.
Meanwhile President Lungu has extended an invitation to his Ghanaian counterpart to visit Zambia in the second quarter of the year, a request which Mr Addo has accepted. -ZANIS