Former international football star, George Weah, was sworn-in as Liberia’s new president on Monday, in the country’s first transition between democratically-elected leaders since 1944.
Weah, 51, took over from Nobel laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who spent 12 years at the helm, steering the West African nation away from the trauma of a civil war.
He was sworn in as president by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Francis Korkpor.
The ceremony took place at a packed sports stadium near the capital, Monrovia, with several African heads of state in attendance, along with friends and former colleagues from Weah’s football years.
Crowds queued for kilometres (miles) to reach the stadium, singing, dancing and waving the Liberian flag as they waited.
Weah has vowed to make prosperity and job creation the hallmarks of his presidency.
Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking a mere 177th on the 188 countries in the Human Development Index compiled by the UN Development Programme.
African football legends were among the world personalities who witnessed George Weah’s historic inauguration as Liberia’s 25th president.
Austin Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba were inside the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium to honour the continent’s most decorated footballer.
Former Zambia’s Chipolopolo captain Kalusha Bwalya was also on the occasion.
CAF president Ahmad Ahmad led the African football governing body’s delegation while FIFA General-Secretary Fatma Samoura led the world body’s delegation to the ceremony.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki were also present.
African presidents including Mali’s Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana attended the swearing-in; while Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo represented President Muhammadu Buhari at the event.
