Ghana's New President Caught Plagiarizing Speech From Bill Clinton, George Bush

The office of Nana Akufo-Addo issued an apology on Sunday after the new Ghanaian president was accused of lifting passages from speeches by Bill Clinton and George W Bush during his inaugural address to the nation.

Not long after his swearing-in ceremony on Saturday in the capital Accra, social media users started pointing out similarities between Akufo-Addo's speech and those delivered by the two ex-US presidents.

"Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. Ghanaians have been a restless, questing, hopeful people. And we must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who came before us," Akufo-Addo said.

It echoed Clinton's 1993 inauguration speech: "Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. And Americans have ever been a restless, questing, hopeful people. We must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who come before us."

#Ghana’s new President @NAkufoAddo caught plagiarizing Bill Clinton & George Bush's inaugural speeches word for word. #Africa pic.twitter.com/PHOSTxxiND

— Live From Mogadishu (@Daudoo) January 8, 2017

In another instance, Akufo-Addo said: "I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building your communities and our nation."

In his 2001 inaugural speech, Bush said: "I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character."

The presidency's communication director acknowledged the plagiarism and offered an apology.

"I unreservedly apologise for the non-acknowledgement of this quote to the original author. It was a complete oversight, and never deliberate," Eugene Arhin said, according to DPA news agency.