- Born:
- July 21, 1944, Tarkwa, Ghana
- Died:
- July 24, 2012, Accra, Ghana (aged 68)
- Title / Office:
- president (2009-2012), Ghana
- vice president (1997-2001), Ghana
- Political Affiliation:
- National Democratic Congress
John Evans Atta Mills
-
Who was John Evans Atta Mills?
John Evans Atta Mills (1944–2012) was a Ghanaian politician and scholar who served as president of Ghana from 2009 to 2012.
After studying law, Mills taught at the University of Ghana for about 25 years and served on various boards and committees. In 1988, he became acting commissioner of Ghana’s Internal Revenue Service and later became the commissioner in 1993. In 1996, as Pres. Jerry Rawlings’s running mate, he became vice president, serving until 2001.
After unsuccessful presidential bids in 2000 and 2004, Mills won the 2008 presidential poll. As president, he focused on improving the socioeconomic conditions of Ghanaians, initiated an austerity program, cut government spending, and oversaw the start of Ghana’s commercial oil production. In July 2011, the NDC chose Mills as their candidate for the 2012 elections, but he passed away five months before they were held.
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Which country did John Evans Atta Mills serve as president?
John Evans Atta Mills served as president of Ghana from 2009 to 2012. After a career in academia and public service, Mills ran as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate in the 2008 presidential election, where he won by a narrow margin. As president, Mills worked to improve the socioeconomic conditions of Ghanaians through an austerity program involving cuts to government spending. He also presided over the start of Ghana's first commercial oil production, pledging responsible spending of the revenue.
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When did John Evans Atta Mills become the president of Ghana?
John Evans Atta Mills served as president of Ghana from 2009 to 2012. He was sworn in as president on January 7, 2009.
Mills, a scholar and politician, had a distinguished career in public service before becoming president. He was appointed acting commissioner of Ghana’s Internal Revenue Service in 1988 and later became the substantive commissioner in 1993. In the 1996 elections, he became Pres. Jerry Rawlings’s running mate. They won, and Mills took office on January 7, 1997, as vice president, a post he held until 2001.
After being selected as the NDC's candidate for the 2012 presidential elections, Mills died five months before they were to be held.
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What were some achievements of John Evans Atta Mills during his presidency?
John Evans Atta Mills served as president of Ghana from 2009 to 2012. After being sworn in as president on January 7, 2009, he sought to improve the socioeconomic conditions of Ghanaians. Mills, a social democrat, implemented an austerity program that cut government spending, including wages, and reviewed the order of two presidential jets. He also eliminated four cabinet ministries and reduced the presidential convoy's size. In late 2010, Mills oversaw the start of Ghana's first commercial oil production, promising responsible management of the new oil revenue. He died in office on July 24, 2012.
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How did John Evans Atta Mills contribute to Ghana's economy and education?
John Evans Atta Mills served as president of Ghana from 2009 to 2012. After being sworn in as president in January 2009, Mills set out to improve the socioeconomic situation of Ghanaians. In his first State of the Nation address, he announced an austerity program, promising cuts in government spending, starting with wage cutbacks and a review of the government’s recent order of two presidential jets. He also instituted policies to eliminate four cabinet ministries and reduced the size of the presidential convoy. Mills also presided over the commencement of the country’s first commercial oil production in late 2010 and promised that government would spend the newfound oil revenue responsibly.
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What challenges did John Evans Atta Mills face as president and how did he address them?
As president of Ghana (2009-2012), John Evans Atta Mills aimed to improve the socioeconomic conditions of Ghanaians, many of whom were living in poverty.
To address these issues, Mills initiated an austerity program that cut government spending, starting with wage reductions and a review of the order for two presidential jets. His administration also eliminated four cabinet ministries and reduced the presidential convoy's size. In late 2010, Mills oversaw the start of Ghana's first commercial oil production, promising responsible management of the new oil revenue. Despite these efforts, Mills died in office in July 2012.
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John Evans Atta Mills (born July 21, 1944, Tarkwa, Ghana—died July 24, 2012, Accra, Ghana) was a Ghanaian politician and scholar who served as president of Ghana (2009–12).
After secondary school, Mills studied law at the University of Ghana (LL.B., 1967), the London School of Economics and Political Science (LL.M., 1968), and the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, completing his Ph.D. dissertation (1971) on taxation and economic development. On his return to Ghana, he taught law at the University of Ghana, where he remained for some 25 years. He also served on numerous boards and committees, occasionally acted as a visiting professor in the United States and the Netherlands, and published extensively on taxation, including the Report of the Tax Review Commission, Ghana (1977).
Mills eventually left academia to establish a distinguished career in public service. Appointed in 1988 as acting commissioner of Ghana’s Internal Revenue Service, he eventually became (1993) substantive commissioner. He stood as Pres. Jerry Rawlings’s running mate under the banner of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 1996 elections. They were victorious, and Mills took office on January 7, 1997, as vice president, a post he held until 2001. Mills was the NDC candidate for the presidency in the 2000 and 2004 elections, but he was defeated by John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
During his first two presidential campaigns, Mills had been roundly criticized for statements that if elected he would consult with Rawlings. When Mills was again the NDC candidate for the presidency in 2008, he distanced himself from his former mentor and campaigned on the slogan “I believe in Ghana.” Self-described as a social democrat who believed in the concept of social welfare espoused by Kwame Nkrumah (independent Ghana’s first leader), Mills embraced a political platform that was more comprehensive and less divisive than that of either Nkrumah or Rawlings. Mills’s persistence and determination paid off when he won the 2008 presidential poll, defeating the NPP’s candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, by a narrow margin (50.23–49.77 percent). The election marked the second time in Ghana’s history that one legitimately elected leader had handed over power to another. It demonstrated that, after an era of coups and dictatorship (1966–92), democracy had been established and reinforced in the western African country, despite occasional eruptions of ethnic conflict and political tension.
On January 7, 2009, Mills was officially sworn in as president of Ghana. After his inauguration he set about to improve the socioeconomic situation of ordinary Ghanaians, who ranked among the world’s poorest people, with an average daily income of $2.32, a 60 percent literacy rate, and 10 percent unemployment despite the country’s potentially valuable natural resources. In his first State of the Nation address on February 19, 2009, Mills announced an austerity program, promising steep cuts in government spending, beginning with cutbacks in wages and a review of the government’s recent order of two presidential jets. He also instituted policies to eliminate four cabinet ministries and reduced the size of the presidential convoy. Mills presided over the commencement of the country’s first commercial oil production in late 2010 and promised that government would spend the newfound oil revenue responsibly.
In July 2011 the NDC selected Mills to be the party’s candidate in the 2012 presidential elections; however, he died five months before the elections were to be held.