Ghana chooses new president amid hopes for economic revival

Ghana elects a new president on Saturday, with citizens hoping that a new leader will be able to pull the West African nation out of an economic crisis.

The youth vote is seen as crucial in the race between candidates from the rival New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) parties, which have peacefully alternated in power since 1992.

Of the 18.7 million registered voters, more than 10.3 million are between 18 and 35 years old.

Polls predict each of the two main political camps will receive about 40-50% of the vote, but it is not clear who will come out on top.

The 10 other candidates who have registered to run have no serious prospects of winning.

The unemployment rate in Ghana is over 14% and the cost of living has risen sharply for many Ghanaians in recent years.

On top of this come problems associated with poor infrastructure, corruption, the devalued currency and massive environmental pollution.

Since Ghana's economy depends heavily on the export of cocoa, gold and oil, and it has to import food such as wheat, the country's economy is heavily exposed to the fluctuations on the world markets.

Incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo cannot run for another term after two terms in office. His vice president, Mahamudu Bawumia, is running for the governing NPP.

The 61-year-old is relying on his reputation as an economic expert and promises to "upgrade" the economy with a focus on digitalization.

His main challenger John Dramani Mahama, 66, is from the NDC and was previously head of state from 2012 until early 2017.

Mahama is promising a fresh start, with start-up programmes designed to support young entrepreneurs as well as farmers.