John Dramani Mahama Biography
John Dramani Mahama is a Ghanaian politician and former president of Ghana. He was born on November 29, 1958 in Damongo, Ghana. He studied history, communication, and social psychology at the University of Ghana and the Institute of Social Sciences in Moscow.
Mahama began his political career as a member of parliament for the Bole Bamboi constituency in 1996. He served as the minister of communications from 1998 to 2001 and the vice president of Ghana from 2009 to 2012. He became the president of Ghana in 2012 after the death of his predecessor, John Evans Atta Mills.
Mahama is the leader of the National Democratic Congress, the main opposition party in Ghana. He ran for re-election in 2016 and 2020, but lost to Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party. He is also a writer, historian, and communication expert. He has authored several books, including My First Coup d’Etat and Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa.
John Dramani Mahama Early Life and Education
John Dramani Mahama was born on November 29, 1958, in Damongo, in the Northern region of Ghana, into a politically active family.
His father, Emmanuel Adama Mahama, was the first member of parliament for the West Gonja constituency and a regional commissioner in the government of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president.
Mahama received his primary education at the Achimota School in Accra and then attended the Ghana Secondary School in Tamale. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1981 from the University of Ghana, Legon, where he also completed a postgraduate diploma in communication studies in 1986.
Mahama then pursued a postgraduate degree in social psychology from the Institute of Social Sciences in Moscow, which he obtained in 1988.
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John Dramani Mahama Career
John Dramani Mahama is a Ghanaian politician who has served as the president, vice president, minister, and member of parliament of his country.
He began his political career in 1996, when he was elected to parliament as a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the Bole Bamboi constituency in the Northern region of Ghana. He served as a deputy minister and then a minister of communications from 1997 to 2001 under President Jerry John Rawlings.
He was reelected to parliament in 2000 and 2004, and held various positions in the NDC, such as the director of communications, the spokesperson for foreign affairs, and the minority spokesperson for communications. He also served as a member of the Pan-African Parliament and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
Mahama was chosen as the vice presidential candidate of the NDC in 2008, alongside John Evans Atta Mills, who won the presidential election after a close run-off with Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He became the vice president of Ghana on January 7, 2009, and was in charge of the National Economic Management Team, the Armed Forces Council, and the Police Council.
Mahama ascended to the presidency on July 24, 2012, following the death of President Mills. He was the first vice president to take over the presidency from the death of his predecessor, and the first head of state of Ghana to have been born after Ghana’s independence. He was confirmed as the NDC’s presidential candidate for the 2012 election, and won the election with 50.7% of the votes, defeating Akufo-Addo again.
Mahama’s presidency was marked by achievements and challenges in various sectors, such as education, health, infrastructure, energy, economy, security, and foreign relations. He also faced criticism and protests over corruption, unemployment, inflation, and power shortages. He sought re-election for a second term in the 2016 election, but lost to Akufo-Addo, who won with 53.8% of the votes. Mahama conceded defeat and became the first president in the history of Ghana to not have won a second term.
John Dramani Mahama Wife and Children
John Dramani Mahama is married to Lordina Effah Mahama, who was the first lady of Ghana from 2009 to 2017. They have five children: four sons and one daughter. Their names are Shafik, Shahid, Sharaf, Jesse, and Farida.
Shafik is the eldest son and Farida is the youngest daughter. Shafik is married to an Algerian woman named Asma. Sharaf is a football lover and signed a contract with a Belgian club. Farida is a student and often accompanies her father to public events. The other two sons, Shahid and Jesse, are less known to the public.
Mahama and his wife celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in July 2022. They built a new maternity and children’s ward for the Bole District Hospital to mark the occasion.
John Dramani Mahama Net Worth
John Dramani Mahama’s net worth is estimated to be around $900 million, making him one of the richest politicians in Ghana.
John Dramani Mahama Social Media
John Dramani Mahama is active on various social media platforms, where he shares his views, activities, and achievements. Here are some of his social media handles:
- Twitter: @JDMahama
- Facebook: John Dramani Mahama
- Instagram: @officialjdmahama
- YouTube: John Dramani Mahama
- LinkedIn: John Dramani Mahama
