Zuma in Ghana for inauguration

(Image: GCIS)

Mahama's party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), won the December 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary election by 50.7% of the vote.

Zuma, accompanied by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, will be attending the inauguration ceremony at Independence Square in the capital Accra.

According to the Presidency, the President's attendance reinforces the strong bilateral and economic relations that South Africa and Ghana share.

These relations will be stretched further when they meet for the Permanent Joint Commission for Co-operation (PJCC) in the coming months.

The meeting, which was postponed due to the untimely passing of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, is expected to come up with action plans for the seven agreements/memoranda of understanding signed during a state visit in August 201. Further areas of co-operation will also be explored.

"Initially trade between the two countries concentrated on agricultural products, but since 2005 South Africa has begun to export value added manufactured capital goods to Ghana, reflecting the significant presence of SA multinationals in the Ghanaian economy," the Presidency said.

Ahead of his inauguration, Mahama called on all Ghanaians to forge ahead in unity.

While appraising the country's collective achievements over the past four years, he reminded Ghanaians of the hard work that lay ahead of them.

He called for all, especially politicians, to work towards greater cooperation and collaboration, irrespective of their political differences.

"Keeping the nation safe, anchoring our constitutional and democratic legacy on stronger moral and cultural values, growing stronger institutions; delivering on infrastructural development and social services, infrastructure and amenities to all parts of this nation, as well as affirming our status as a Pan African giant, remain far from finished," he said.

Mahama reminded the country's Members of Parliament that maintaining that success would only come in their shared responsibility to work towards the achievement of these goals.

For the long-term survival of the nation, Mahama believed all Ghanaians must agree and commit to a multi-partisan process to secure the future of the country.