Does the smooth transition of power in Ghana shows the maturity of democracy in Africa?

The death of Ghana's President John Atta Mills will be felt keenly in a country where the former academic was known fondly as "The Prof".

But the smooth handover to a successor - John Mahama - highlights how far Ghana has gone on the road to democracy.

In a less democratic era - in the 1980s or the 1990s - the death of a Ghanaian leader would have caused fear and foreboding: Was the death suspicious? Who would take over? Would the army step in?

But it's a measure of how the democratic process has become "normal" in Ghana that Mr Mahama - the vice-president - was swiftly sworn in.

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