President John Dramani Mahama has reassured Ghanaians and the international community of his commitment to free, fair and credible elections in the November 7 polls.

The president, as part of his address to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, March 17, 2016, indicated that “this year’s elections will be no exception, in terms of transparency, fairness, and security”.

His appearance at the Scottish parliament to deliver a speech and meet with the First Minister of Scotland is part of a working visit to that country.

President Mahama also indicated that he hoped to strengthen economic and political bilateral relations. He identified a transformation of Ghana’s economy from an import-driven one to a diversified, export-driven one as a key area of focus.

“Ghana has under my administration been on a quest to diversify the base of our economy. This is aimed at transforming from a primary commodity exporter and import-dependent economy into an export-led, value-added one and Scotland provides a good opportunity for collaboration in developing and the manufacturing sector,” he stated.

“We (Africa) are a continent in a hurry. We need to speed up economic growth in order that we can provide decent jobs for the large number of young people graduating from our universities every year.”

The president was accompanied by the first lady, Lordina Mahama, Foreign Affairs Minister Hanna S. Tetteh (MP), Communications Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah, and Education Minister Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman.

The University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom is set to hold a special convocation to confer on H.E. John Dramani Mahama an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) (Honoris Causa) on Friday.