John Atta Mills

John Mills
3rd President of Ghana (4th Republic)
Incumbent
Assumed office  7 January 2009
Vice President	John Dramani Mahama
Preceded by	John Kufuor
2nd Vice President of Ghana
In office 7 January 1997 – 7 January 2001
President	Jerry Rawlings
Preceded by	Kow Nkensen Arkaah
Succeeded by	Aliu Mahama
Born	21 July 1944 (1944-07-21) (age 66) Tarkwa, Gold Coast
Political party	National Democratic Congress
Spouse(s)	Ernestina Naadu Mills
Residence	Christianborg Castle, Osu
Profession	University professor of law
Religion	Methodist
Website	[1]

John Evans Atta Mills (born 21 July 1944^[1]) is the current President of Ghana. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the ruling party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo by 50.23%–49.77% in the 2008 election.^[2] He was Vice President from 1997 to 2001 under President Jerry Rawlings, and he stood unsuccessfully in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections as the candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Early life, education and academic career

Mills is a fanti from Ekumfi Otuam in the Central Region but was born in Tarkwa, located in the Western Region of Ghana.^[1] He was educated at Achimota School, where he completed the Advanced Level Certificate in 1963, and the University of Ghana, Legon, where he received a bachelor's degree and professional certificate in law in 1967.

While earning a Ph.D in Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London, Mills was selected for a sojourn, as a Fulbright scholar at Stanford Law School in the United States.^[2][3]

Mills earned a Ph.D at SOAS, after completing his doctoral thesis in the area of taxation and economic development. Mills' first formal teaching assignment was as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ghana, Legon. He spent close to twenty five years teaching at Legon and other institutions of higher learning, and rose in position from lecturer to senior lecturer to associate professor, and served on numerous boards and committees. Additionally, he traveled worldwide as a visiting lecturer and professor at educational institutions such as the LSE, and presented research papers at symposiums and conferences^[3]

Publications

Mills has produced several publications, including^[3]:

• Taxation of Periodical or Deferred Payments arising from the Sale of Fixed Capital (1974)
• Exemption of Dividends from Income taxation: A critical Appraisal (1977) In: Review of Ghana Law, 1997, 9: 1, pag.38-47
• Report of the Tax Review Commission, Ghana, parts 1,2&3 (1977)
• Ghana's Income Tax laws and the Investor. (An inter-faculty lecture published by the University of Ghana)
• Ghana's new investment code : an appraisal (1993) In: University of Ghana Law Journal, 1993, vol. 18, pag.1-29

He has held examiner positions with finance-related institutions in Ghana, including the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Institute of Bankers, and Ghana Tax Review Commission.^[3]

Contribution in sports

He has contributed to the Ghana Hockey Association, National Sports Council of Ghana, and Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club. He enjoys hockey and swimming, and once played for the national hockey team (he is still a member of the Veterans Hockey Team).^[3]

Presidency

President Mills on a meeting with the Minister of Development of Brazil, Miguel Jorge.

On 21 December 2006, 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.^[3][4] In 2008, he was elected president of Ghana, after a keenly contested three round election.

Other activities and projects

Mills has been involved in various activities and projects such as^[3]:

• Member of the Ghana Stock Exchange Council
• Board of Trustees, Mines Trust
• Management Committee Member of, Commonwealth Administration of Tax Experts, United Nations Ad Hoc Group of Experts in International Cooperation in Tax Matters, and United Nations Law and Population Project
• A Study on Equipment Leasing in Ghana
• Casebook preparation on Ghana's Income Tax
• Review of Ghana's Double Tax Agreement with the UK
• In 1988, John Evans Atta Mills became the acting Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service of Ghana and named Commissioner in September 1996.
• In 1997, Prof. Mills received another important appointment when on January 7, 1997, he was sworn-in as the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana.
• In 2002, Prof. Mills was a visiting scholar at the Liu Centre for the Study of Global Affairs, University of British Columbia, Canada.
• In December 2002, John Evans Atta Mills was elected by his party to be its flagbearer and led them into the 2004 elections.

Personal life

The President of Ghana, John Evans Atta Mills, with Pastor TB Joshua, at The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations in Lagos, Nigeria, January 2009

He is married to Ernestina Naadu Mills, an educator and has a 19 year old son, Sam Kofi Atta Mills with Ruby Addo.

He is a good friend to Pastor T. B. Joshua of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations in Lagos, Nigeria and regularly visits his church. He said following his inauguration that T.B. Joshua had prophesied to him there would be three elections, the results would be released in January, and he would emerge victorious. ^[5][6][7]

See also

• List of Ghana heads of state by age
• List of Mills government ministers

References

External links

• Ghana-pedia webpage - Professor John Evans Atta-Mills
• Professor John Evans Atta Mills 2008 official campaign website
• "Profile: Ghana President John Atta Mills" BBC News, January 3, 2009
• New Ghana president sworn in Al-Jazeera, January 7, 2009
• A damned close-run thing—and a fine example to the rest of Africa The Economist, January 8, 2009

Heads of state and Prime Ministers of the Republic of Ghana      Presidents (1960-Present) Nkrumah • Ankrah † • Afrifa † • Ollennu* • Akufo-Addo • Acheampong † • Akuffo † • Rawlings † • Limann • Rawlings • Kufuor • Mills Prime Ministers (1957-1960; 1969-1972) Kwame Nkrumah (1957-60) • Kofi Abrefa Busia (1969-72) † military     * interim

Order of precedence in Ghana John Atta Mills (President) • John Dramani Mahama (Vice President) • Joyce Bamford-Addo (Speaker of Parliament) • Georgina Theodora Wood (Chief Justice)