To win the first round, a presidential candidate must win more than 50% of the vote. Otherwise, the first two contenders will take part in the second round of voting, which will take place at the end of December.
Voting for the first time, Serwaa Yeboa Joshebet, 18, told the BBC: “It is important for you to vote to choose the best for your country.”
The recent graduate wants to see more job opportunities “not just for me, but for others who need them (too).”
Kojo Yeboa, 95, agrees.
“The next leader must focus on education and jobs for the youth,” a retired university official told the BBC outside a polling booth in the city of Kumasi.
“I already use a scholarship from the state at my age,” he adds.
As the election campaign drew to a close on Friday, Bawumia said of his main rival: “It is clear that despite the challenges we have had, we have performed better than John Dramani Mahama’s government.”
While Mahama told supporters “it’s a choice between the Ghana we have today and the Ghana we want together. A Ghana of opportunity, prosperity and justice for all.”
Ghanaians have been hit particularly hard by inflation in recent years, which peaked at 54.1% in 2022. Although it has declined since then, many thousands of people have fallen into poverty and living standards have deteriorated. says the World Bank, external.
In the same year, Ghana declared a debt default the government is still in protracted negotiations with international creditors to try to restructure the loans.
High unemployment – especially among young people, whose views can have a big impact on election results.
Additional reporting by Favor Nunu in Accra and Damian Zane in London
