John Atta Mills, who ran three times for president before being elected in the closest vote in Ghana’s history on a platform vowing to reform the west African country, has died aged 68, officials said.

In his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office, President Barack Obama was today seeking to lift up the continent of his ancestors – while keeping its emotions in check.

Ghana’s Electoral Commission said opposition leader John Atta Mills has won the presidency of the West African nation.

Ghana’s ruling party threatened to boycott a district’s presidential revote today that could decide the African country’s next leader, but there was no indication the vote would be cancelled.

President John Kufuor accepted his re-election as leader of Ghana today, congratulating citizens in Africa’s first independent nation on the largely peaceful balloting and calling the nation a “beacon of democracy”.