John Mahama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Mahama
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Mahama in 2024
|
|
| 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, 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 became the 14th president of Ghana in January 2025. Before this, he was president from 2012 to 2017. He also served as Vice President from 2009 to 2012.
Mahama first became president on 24 July 2012. This happened after the death of the previous president, John Atta Mills. He is a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party.
He was a Member of Parliament for Bole Bamboi from 1997 to 2009. He also served as Deputy Minister for Communication and then Minister for Communications. John Mahama was the first vice president to become president after his predecessor's death. He was also the first Ghanaian head of state born after Ghana became independent in 1957.
He won the December 2012 election to serve a full term as president. In the 2016 election, he lost to Nana Akufo-Addo. This made him the first president in Ghana's history not to win a second term in a row. He ran again in the 2020 election but lost to Akufo-Addo once more.
In the 2024 election, he was re-elected president. He defeated the then-current vice president, Mahamudu Bawumia. This made him the first president in Ghana to be elected for a non-consecutive second term.
Contents
Early Life and Education
John Mahama is from the Gonja ethnic group in the Savanna Region of Ghana. He was born on 29 November 1958 in Damongo. His father, Emmanuel Adama Mahama, was a wealthy rice farmer and teacher. He was also the first Member of Parliament for the West Gonja area. His father served as a regional commissioner and later as a senior presidential advisor.
Mahama went to primary school at Accra Newtown Experimental School. He then attended Achimota Primary School and Ghana Secondary School in Tamale.
He studied at the University of Ghana, Legon. He earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1981. In 1986, he received a postgraduate diploma in communication studies. He also studied at the Institute of Social Sciences in Moscow, Soviet Union. There, he earned a postgraduate degree in social psychology in 1988.
Early Career and Public Service
After university, Mahama taught history at a 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.
Later, he joined Plan International, an anti-poverty organization. He worked as an International Relations, Sponsorship Communications, and Grants Manager from 1995 to 1996. He also took part in professional training courses in Japan and Kenya.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
Mahama was first elected to the Parliament of Ghana in 1996. He represented the Bamboi Constituency. In April 1997, he became Deputy Minister of Communications. He was promoted to Minister of Communications in November 1998. He held this position until January 2001.
He was re-elected as a Member of Parliament for Bole/Bamboi in 2000 and again in 2004. From 2001 to 2004, he was the Minority Parliamentary Spokesman for Communications. In 2002, he became the Director of Communications for the NDC party. He also observed parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe that same year.
Minister and Vice President Roles (1997–2012)
As Deputy Minister and then Minister for Communications, Mahama played a key role. He helped stabilize Ghana's telecommunications sector. This happened after it was opened up to more competition in 1997. He was also a founding member of the Ghana AIDS Commission.
In 2003, Mahama became a member of the Pan-African Parliament. He chaired the West African Caucus until 2011. He also worked on cooperation committees between European and Pan African Parliaments. He is a member of the UNDP Advisory Committee on Conflict Resolution in Ghana.
On 7 January 2009, John Mahama was sworn in as the Vice-President of Ghana. He served alongside President John Atta Mills. In this role, he chaired important councils. These included the National Economic Management Team and the Armed Forces Council of Ghana.
First Time as President (2012–2017)
.jpg)
According to Ghana's constitution, Mahama became president on 24 July 2012. This followed the death of President John Atta Mills. He made history as Ghana's first president to have held all levels of political office. This included being an MP, Deputy Minister, Minister, Vice-President, and President.
He said in parliament when he was sworn in: "This is the saddest day in our nation's history. Tears have engulfed our nation and we are deeply saddened and distraught and I'm personally devastated, I've lost a father, I've lost a friend, I've lost a mentor and a senior comrade. Ghana is united in grief at this time for our departed president."
Mahama also became the first Ghanaian head of state born after Ghana's independence in 1957. The NDC party chose him as their presidential candidate for the 2012 election. He stated that 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. He beat Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party, who got 47.74%. This was just enough to win without a second round of voting. Many African leaders and international delegations attended his inauguration on 7 January 2013.
After his inauguration, the opposition party challenged the election results. They claimed there were problems with the voting. The Supreme Court of Ghana heard the case for eight months. On 29 August 2013, the Court dismissed the challenge.
Mahama is known for being active on social media like Twitter and Facebook. In May 2013, he spoke about the threat of Islamist groups in West Africa.
.jpg)
On 30 March 2014, he was chosen to lead ECOWAS. On 26 June 2014, he became Chairperson of the African Union's (AU's) High-Level African Trade Committee.
In January 2016, Mahama became a co-chair of the Sustainable Development Goals Advocates group. This group helps the UN Secretary-General promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals aim to improve the world by 2030.
Mahama ran for a second full term in the December 2016 general election. He was allowed to run because he took office with less than half of Mills' term remaining. However, he lost to Nana Akufo-Addo and accepted defeat. Mahama received 44.4% of the votes, while Akufo-Addo got 53.5%.
In December 2016, he was part of a team that helped resolve a political problem in The Gambia. This happened after the election there.
Between Presidential Terms (2017–2025)
Running for President in 2020
In February 2019, Mahama was chosen as the NDC's candidate for the 2020 elections. He ran against the current president, Nana Akufo-Addo. Akufo-Addo had defeated Mahama in 2016. Mahama won the NDC party primaries with 95.23% of the votes.
On 4 December 2020, Mahama and Akufo-Addo signed a peace agreement. This was to ensure peace before, during, and after the 7 December elections. Akufo-Addo won the election with 51.6% of the vote.
In August 2021, Mahama started a "Thank you tour" in Ghana. He visited different regions to thank Ghanaians for voting in the 2020 election. He met with traditional leaders, religious leaders, and the media.
Running for President in 2024
On 14 May 2023, John Mahama won the NDC presidential primary. This made him the party's 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. He conceded defeat in the 2024 General Elections.
Second Time as President (2025–Present)
Mahama was inaugurated for 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 faced criticism over its costs.
On 10 February 2025, Mahama ordered a ban on non-essential travel for government officials. He also stated that authorized travels must be done simply and modestly.
Personal Life and Interests
.jpg)
Mahama is married to Lordina Mahama (born 6 March 1963). They have seven children, including Joshua, Princess, Shafik, Shahid, Sharaf, Jesse, and Farida. He is a Christian, raised as a Presbyterian. He is now a member of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, through marriage. His family includes both Christians and Muslims.
He cares deeply about the environment, especially single-use plastic waste in Africa. He promised to address this issue when he was vice president.
Mahama has written for many newspapers and publications. He wrote "Mahama's Hammer," a column in a Ghanaian newspaper. His essays have appeared in the Daily Graphic, Ebony, and Huffington Post. He was also a speaker at a TEDx conference.
He enjoys Afrobeat music, especially by Fela Kuti. Besides reading, Mahama is interested in using technology in farming. He wants to improve agricultural productivity. He also encourages 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 opportunities in Ghana's Savanna areas.
Mahama is also interested in how ICT can make tasks easier. He believes the ICT industry can help Ghana's economy and create jobs. His elder brother, Ibrahim Mahama, is a businessman who owns Dzata Cement.
Books Written by John Mahama
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 "marked the awakening of my consciousness."
Awards and Recognition
Mahama has received many honors and awards. He received an honorary doctorate in Public Administration from Ekiti State University in Nigeria. This was for his work in developing Ghana and Africa. The university later named its Faculty of Management Science after him.
The government of Cuba gave him the Friendship Medal. This was for his support in lifting the economic embargo on Cuba. The General Council of Assemblies of God, Ghana, gave him the Daniel Award. He also received the African Servant Leadership Award.
In 2013, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) gave him the Africa Award for Excellence in Food Security and Poverty Reduction. In March 2016, the University of Aberdeen gave him an honorary degree.
Mahama has 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. President Yayi Boni of Benin gave him the Great Cross of the National Order of Benin, which is Benin's highest award.
In February 2017, Mahama received the 2016 African Political Leader of the Year Award. This was from the African Leadership Magazine in South Africa.
In October 2022, Liberty University in Virginia, USA, honored Mahama. He received a Global Leadership and Economic Impact Award. This award recognized his wise governance and work on economic development.
In March 2024, he was given the chieftaincy title, Kuoro Sabinwero Wajia I. This was by the Paramount Chief of the Buwaa Traditional Area.
Images for kids
-
John Mahama meets with the then-United States Secretary of State John Kerry.
-
Then-U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle greet Mahama and First Lady Lordina Mahama, at the White House in 2014.
-
Mahama with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, 2016.
-
Ghanaian First Lady Lordina Mahama in 2014.
-
Mahama at Chatham House
See also
- List of Mills government ministers
- List of Mahama government ministers
