Ghana's President John Atta Mills has died at the age of 68.

The Ghanaian minister of information, Fritz Baffour, confirmed the president's death in a phone interview with VOA.

The official Ghana News Agency, quoting a statement from the office of the presidency, reports that Mr. Atta Mills died Tuesday at a military hospital in the capital, Accra.

The statement says the president died a “sudden and untimely death,” a few hours after falling ill.

There was no immediate word on the nature of his illness.

President Atta Mills had led Ghana since January 2009, after narrowly winning the 2008 presidential election. The election was hailed as a rare example of a peaceful transfer of power in Africa.

Ghana's constitution calls for Vice President John Dramani Mahama to be sworn in as Mr. Atta Mills' replacement.