NBC News — Ghana's Vice President John Dramani Mahama took the oath of office as president tuesday just hours after learning of the death of President John Atta Mills. Mills won praise for presiding over one of Africa's most stable democracies and a leading producer of cocoa and gold.

A statement from the president's office said that he died a few hours after falling ill, but offered no further details. Mahama will now serve as a caretaker president until a new election at the end of the year.