John Mahama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Mahama
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Mahama in 2014
|
|
| 12th & 14th President of Ghana | |
| Assumed office 7 January 2025 |
|
| Vice President | Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang |
| Preceded by | Nana Akufo-Addo |
| In office 24 July 2012 – 7 January 2017 |
|
| Vice President | Kwesi Amissah-Arthur |
| Preceded by | John Atta Mills |
| Succeeded by | Nana Akufo-Addo |
| Second Vice Chairperson of the African Union | |
| Assumed office 15 February 2025 |
|
| President | João Lourenço |
| 5th Vice President of Ghana | |
| In office 7 January 2009 – 24 July 2012 |
|
| President | John Atta Mills |
| Preceded by | Aliu Mahama |
| Succeeded by | Kwesi Amissah-Arthur |
| Minister for Communications | |
| In office November 1998 – 7 January 2001 |
|
| President | Jerry Rawlings |
| Preceded by | Ekwow Spio-Garbrah |
| Succeeded by | Felix Owusu-Adjapong |
| Deputy Minister for Communications | |
| In office April 1997 – November 1998 |
|
| President | Jerry Rawlings |
| Member of Parliament for Bole |
|
| In office 7 January 1997 – 7 January 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Mahama Jeduah |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Akati Saaka |
| Chair of the Economic Community of West African States | |
| In office 17 February 2013 – 19 May 2015 |
|
| Preceded by | Alassane Ouattara |
| Succeeded by | Macky Sall |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Dramani Mahama
29 November 1958 Damongo, then part of the Dominion of Ghana |
| Political party | National Democratic Congress |
| Spouse | Lordina Effah |
| Relations |
|
| Residence | Jubilee House |
| Education | University of Ghana Moscow Institute of Social Sciences |
John Dramani Mahama (born 29 November 1958) is a Ghanaian politician. He has been the president of Ghana since January 2025. He is a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party. He also served as Ghana's 12th president from 2012 to 2017.
Mahama was a Member of Parliament for Bole Bamboi from 1997 to 2009. He was also the Deputy Minister for Communication from 1997 to 1998. Later, he became the main Minister for Communications in 1998. From 2009 to 2012, he served as the fifth vice president under President John Atta Mills. Mahama became president when President Mills passed away on 24 July 2012. He was the first vice president to become president after his predecessor's death. He was also the first head of state of Ghana born after Ghana became independent in 1957.
He won the December 2012 election to serve a full term as president. He tried to get re-elected in the 2016 election but lost to Nana Akufo-Addo. This made him the first president in Ghana's history not to win a second term in a row. Mahama was again the NDC's candidate in the 2020 election, where he lost to Akufo-Addo once more.
He was re-elected president in the 2024 election. He defeated the then-current vice president Mahamudu Bawumia. This made him the first president in Ghana's history to be democratically elected for a second term that was not immediately after his first.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
John Dramani Mahama is from the Gonja ethnic group in Ghana's Savanna Region. He was born on 29 November 1958 in Damongo. His father, Emmanuel Adama Mahama, was a rich rice farmer and teacher. He was the first Member of Parliament for the West Gonja area. He was also the first Regional Commissioner of the Northern Region during Ghana's first republic. Mahama's father also advised President Hilla Limann during Ghana's third republic.
Mahama went to primary school at Accra Newtown Experimental School. He then went to boarding school at Achimota Primary School. He finished secondary school at Ghana Secondary School in Tamale. He later attended the University of Ghana, where he earned a history degree in 1981. In 1986, he received a postgraduate diploma in communication studies. He also studied at the Institute of Social Sciences in Moscow and got a postgraduate degree in social psychology in 1988.
Starting His Career
After university, Mahama taught history in secondary school for a few years. When he returned to Ghana from Moscow, he worked at the Embassy of Japan in Accra. He was an Information, Culture, and Research Officer from 1991 to 1995. After that, he worked for Plan International, an anti-poverty organization, from 1995 to 1996. He managed international relations and communications there.
Serving in Parliament
Mahama was first elected to Ghana's Parliament in 1996. He represented the Bole/Bamboi area for four years. In April 1997, he became the Deputy Minister of Communications. He was promoted to Minister of Communications in November 1998. He served in this role until January 2001.
In 2000, Mahama was re-elected as a Member of Parliament for Bole/Bamboi. He was elected again in 2004 for a third term. From 2001 to 2004, Mahama was the opposition party's spokesperson for Communications in Parliament. In 2002, he became the Director of Communications for the NDC party. He also observed Zimbabwe's Parliamentary Elections that same year. As an MP, he was part of committees dealing with transport, industry, energy, and communications.
From Minister to Vice President
Mahama served as the Deputy Minister of Communications from April 1997 to November 1998. As Minister for Communications, he was also the Chairman of the National Communications Authority. He helped make Ghana's phone and internet services stable after they became more open to competition in 1997. He also helped set up the Ghana AIDS Commission.
In 2003, Mahama became a member of the Pan-African Parliament. He led the West African group there until 2011. He also worked on cooperation between European and Pan-African Parliaments. In 2005, Mahama became the opposition spokesperson for Foreign Affairs. He was also part of a UNDP committee that helped resolve conflicts in Ghana.
On 7 January 2009, Mahama became the Vice-President of Ghana. John Atta Mills was the President. As Vice-President, he led the National Economic Management Team and the Armed Forces Council of Ghana.
First Term as President (2012–2017)
According to Ghana's constitution, Mahama became president on 24 July 2012. This happened after his predecessor, John Atta Mills, passed away. In July 2012, he became Ghana's first president to have held many political roles. These included being an MP, Deputy Minister, Minister, Vice-President, and President. When he was sworn in, he said it was a very sad day for the nation.
.jpg)
Mahama made history by becoming the first Ghanaian head of state born after Ghana became independent on 6 March 1957. On 30 August 2012, his party, the NDC, chose him as their presidential candidate for the 2012 election. He was the only candidate and received almost all the votes. Mahama said his government would continue the "Better Ghana Agenda" started by President Mills.
Mahama won the December 2012 general election. He received 50.70% of the votes, beating Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party. This was just enough to win without a second round of voting. He also won the most votes in eight of Ghana's ten regions. Many leaders from other countries attended his inauguration ceremony in Accra on 7 January 2013.
After he was sworn in, the opposition party challenged the election results. They claimed there were problems with the voting. The case went to the Supreme Court of Ghana. After eight months, the Court decided on 29 August 2013 to dismiss the challenge.
Mahama is one of Africa's most popular leaders on social media like Twitter and Facebook. In May 2013, he said that all of West Africa was facing a threat from extremist groups.
.jpg)
On 30 March 2014, he was chosen to lead ECOWAS, a group of West African countries. On 26 June 2014, he became the Chairperson of the African Union's (AU's) High-Level African Trade Committee.
On 21 January 2016, Mahama became a co-chair of the Sustainable Development Goals Advocates group. This group helps the UN Secretary-General work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. These goals were agreed upon by world leaders in 2015.
Mahama ran for a second full term in the December 2016 general election. He was allowed to run for two full terms because he became president with only six months left in Mills' term. He was defeated by Nana Akufo-Addo and accepted his loss on election night. Mahama received 44.4% of the votes, while Akufo-Addo received 53.5%.
In December 2016, he was part of a team from ECOWAS. This team helped solve a political problem in The Gambia after their election.
Addressing a Controversy
In 2016, John Mahama faced questions about a gift he received. An investigation by the Ghanaian Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) looked into the matter. They found that President Mahama had accepted a vehicle from a contractor. However, the commission concluded that this gift did not count as bribery, conflict of interest, or fraud. This was because President Mahama later gave the vehicle to the state.
Between Presidential Terms
2020 Presidential Campaign
In February 2019, Mahama was chosen as the candidate for the NDC party for the 2020 elections. He ran against the current president, Nana Akufo-Addo, who had defeated him in 2016. Mahama won his party's primary election with a large number of votes.
On 4 December 2020, Mahama and Akufo-Addo signed a peace agreement. This was to make sure the elections on 7 December were peaceful. Akufo-Addo won the election with 51.6% of the votes.
In August 2021, Mahama started a "Thank you tour" in Ghana. He wanted to thank Ghanaians for voting in the 2020 election. He visited several regions, meeting with leaders and the media.
2024 Presidential Campaign
On 14 May 2023, John Mahama won his party's primary election again. This made him the NDC's presidential candidate for the 2024 General Elections. He received 98.9% of the votes.
On 8 December 2024, Mahamudu Bawumia, the candidate for the New Patriotic Party, called John Mahama to accept defeat in the 2024 General Elections.
Second Term as President (2025–Present)
Mahama began his second term as president on 7 January 2025. One of his first actions was to order an investigation into the National Cathedral of Ghana project. This project was approved by his predecessor, Nana Akufo-Addo, and had faced criticism over its costs.
On 10 February 2025, Mahama ordered a ban on unnecessary travel by government officials. He also said that any approved travel must be done simply and without too much expense.
On 22 April 2025, Mahama ordered the temporary removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo. This was because a first investigation found enough reasons to look into her actions further.
Personal Life and Interests
.jpg)
Mahama is married to Lordina Mahama (born 6 March 1963). They have five children: Farida, Jesse, Shafik, Shahid, and Sharaf. Sharaf used to play soccer for Rostocker FC.
Mahama is a Christian. He was born and raised a Presbyterian but is now a member of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, through marriage. His family includes both Christians and Muslims. He cares a lot about the environment, especially the problem of single-use plastic waste in Africa. He promised to work on this issue when he was vice president.
Mahama has written for many newspapers and other publications. As an MP, he wrote a column called Mahama's Hammer in a Ghanaian newspaper. His writings have also appeared in the Daily Graphic, Ebony, and the New York Times. He was also a speaker at the TEDx Great Pacific Garbage Patch Conference. Mahama enjoys Afrobeat music, especially by Fela Kuti.
Besides reading, Mahama is very interested in new ideas, especially using technology in farming. He is a farmer himself. He wants to find the best ways to grow more food and encourage young people to see farming as a good business. He is passionate about the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA). This group aims to create new chances for people in the Savanna areas of Ghana. He also likes how ICT can make tasks easier. He believes the ICT industry can help Ghana's economy grow and create jobs. Mahama's older brother is businessman Ibrahim Mahama, who owns Dzata Cement.
Books
Mahama's first book is a memoir called My First Coup d'État: Memories from the Lost Decades of Africa. It was published on 3 July 2012. In the book, he shares memories from his childhood. He recalls learning about the overthrow of Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, in 1966. He wrote that this moment changed his life.
Honours and Awards
Mahama received an honorary doctorate in Public Administration from Ekiti State University in Nigeria. This was to recognize his work in developing Ghana and Africa. The university later decided to name its Faculty of Management Science after him.
The government of Cuba gave Mahama the Friendship Medal. This was because he strongly supported lifting the economic ban on Cuba and freeing some Cuban prisoners. The Assemblies of God, Ghana, gave Mahama their Daniel Award. He also received the African Servant Leadership Award and a prize for his leadership skills. In 2013, he received the Africa Award for Excellence in Food Security and Poverty Reduction. In March 2016, the University of Aberdeen gave him an honorary degree of Doctors of Laws (LLD).
Mahama has also attended many conferences and received fellowships. He was a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. He is also a Bill Gates Fellow. He received the Great Cross of the National Order of Benin, which is the highest award in Benin.
In February 2017, Mahama received the 2016 African Political Leader of the Year Award in South Africa.
In October 2022, Liberty University in Virginia, USA, honored Mahama with a Global Leadership and Economic Impact Award. This award recognized his wise leadership and his efforts in economic development, women's education, and economic growth.
In March 2024, Mahama was given the chieftaincy title, Kuoro Sabinwero Wajia I. This title was given by the Paramount Chief of the Buwaa Traditional Area.
See also
In Spanish: John Mahama para niños
- List of Mills government ministers
- List of Mahama government ministers
