Ghana - Head of Government

HE Professor John Evans Atta Mills was sworn into office as President of Ghana on 7 January 2009 after winning the presidential run-off on 2 January under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket.

He was Leader of the Opposition from 2004 to 2008.

In December 2002, Professor Mills was elected Chairperson of the NDC.

He held the post of Vice-President from 1997 to 2000 under the presidency of Mr Jerry Rawlings.

Professor Mills served as Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service of Ghana from 1988 to 1996.

Professor Mills spent more than 25 years lecturing at the University of Ghana’s Faculty of Law. He was also a visiting lecturer at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, and Leiden University, The Netherlands. He was a visiting scholar at the Liu Centre for the Study of Global Affairs, University of British Columbia, Canada.

Professor Mills has a Doctorate in Law from the University of London, UK, and a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Ghana. He was a Fulbright scholar at Stanford University’s Law School, California, USA.

He has authored several publications including Exemption of Dividends from Income Taxation: A Critical Appraisal and Ghana’s Income Tax Laws and the Investor.

Professor Mills was born on 21 July 1944 in Tarkwa, Ghana.