Presidency of John Atta Mills

Presidency of John Atta Mills 7 January 2009 – 24 July 2012
President	John Atta Mills
Cabinet	See list
Party	National Democratic Congress
Election	2008
Seat	Jubilee House
← John Kufuor John Mahama →
Seal of the president

The presidency of John Atta Mills began on 7 January 2009 and ended on 24 July 2012. John Atta Mills, an NDC candidate, became the 3rd President of the Ghanaian Fourth Republic after he defeated NPP opponent Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2008 Ghanaian general election. After his death on 24 July 2012, John Atta Mills was succeeded by his vice president, John Mahama in accordance to the 1992 Constitution. He was the first Ghanaian Head of State to die in office.

From 1997 to 2001, Atta Mills served as Vice-President of Ghana under the Rawlings government. He was unsuccessful in his bid for presidency in the 2000 and 2004 Ghanaian general election. During his 2008 campaign he began the Better Ghana Agenda policy. Amongst his accomplishments as president was presiding over and initiating Ghana's first ever foray into oil production, after oil was discovered in commercial quantities under his predecessor, John Kufuor.^[1] In his second year, the president enabled a GDP rebasement which adjusted the growth figures for the Ghanaian economy upwards. Atta Mills also signed the Data Protection Act in May 2012.