(Seychelles News Agency) - The President of Seychelles, Danny Faure, has congratulated the President-elect of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, following his election victory announced at the weekend.

Ghana’s election agency declared Akufo-Addo as the winner of the tightly contested election with 53.8 percent of the votes.

The opposition leader, 72, achieved the victory on his third attempt to reach the presidency, defeating incumbent President John Mahama.

In his congratulatory message to Akufo-Addo, the Seychellois head of state said the victory to his country’s highest office “reflects the faith that the Ghanaian people have in his vision and commitment to ensure further prosperity and equal opportunity for all.”

President Faure said: “It is my most fervent wish that through your leadership, Seychelles and Ghana will continue to broaden our bonds of friendship which were formed in part, nearly a century ago, under H.E. Kwame Nkrumah’s vision for an independent and sovereign African continent.”

“Our ties are therefore rooted in this spirit of cooperation and Pan-Africanism and it is in that vein that I look forward to working with you,” Faure added.

Seychelles and Ghana enjoy historical ties which dates back to the days of exile of King Prempeh I of the Ashanti people to the Indian Ocean archipelago almost 120 years ago.

Although King Prempeh later returned to Ghana, some of the Ashanti people settled in Seychelles and today Prempeh’s descendants are spread out across the archipelago.