UAE mourns passing of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed
Late president's brother elected new President
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has joined world leaders in commiserating with the government and people of the United Arab Emirates following the death of its second President, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Akufo-Addo's message, posted on Twitter on May 14, 2022, described the loss of Al Nahyan as "a great loss for the UAE, an indeed, for the world."
It read as follows: "On behalf of the people and Government of Ghana, I extend our deepest condolences to the people and Government of the United Arab Emirates on the death of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 1/2
"It is a great loss for the people of the UAE, and indeed, for the world. May his soul rest in perfect peace."
In a second thread, Akufo-Addo congratulated Al Nahyan's successor, former Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his accession to the position of President of the UAE.
"The people and Government of Ghana and I congratulate the newly elected President of the United Arab Emirates, His Excellency Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
"It is my sincere hope that the new President will continue on the path of delivering unity, security, progress and prosperity to the people of the UAE.
"It is also my overriding hope that the already strong Ghana-UAE relations will grow from strength to strength, on a shared agenda of freedom, development, progress and prosperity," the post to the new President concluded.
Death of Sheikh Khalifa
The UAE on Friday announced the death of President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan via state news agency WAM.
He was also ruler of Abu Dhabi emirate.
Vice-president and premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, acted as president until the federal council which groups the rulers of the seven emirates met and elected Mohammed Bin Zayed as substantive president.
Khalifa, who was born in 1948, came to power in 2004 in the richest emirate Abu Dhabi and became the head of state.
Mohammed bin Zayed has been the de facto ruler of the US-allied UAE, particularly after Khalifa suffered a stroke in 2014, following which he has rarely been seen in public.
Akufo-Addo meets new President of UAE during a trip to Abu Dhabi