John Dramani Mahama
- Full name: John Dramani Mahama
- Date of birth: November 29, 1958
- Birthplace: Damongo, Savannah Region, Ghana
- Zodiac sign: Sagittarius
- Occupation: Politician, Statesman
- Achievement: 4th President of Ghana (2012 - 2017)
John Dramani Mahama, a Ghanaian politician, was the President of Ghana from 2012 to 2017. John Dramani Mahama is the fourth elected leader in Ghana's fourth republic and the first President whose election was challenged in court and decided there. He is also the fourth "John" to govern the nation and the first President born after independence.
Early life and family
John Mahama was born on November 29, 1958, in Damongo, in the Savannah Region of Ghana.
He belongs to the Gonja ethnic group and hails from Bole in the Savannah Region.
His father, Emmanuel Adama Mahama, was a wealthy rice farmer, teacher, and politician who served as the first Member of Parliament for the West Gonja constituency and the first Regional Commissioner of the Northern Region under Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah.
His mother, Abiba Nnaba, was a market woman who died in 2016.
He has three brothers: Ibrahim, Alfred, and Peter.
Education
John Dramani Mahama attended primary school at the Achimota School in Accra and secondary school at the Ghana Secondary School in Tamale.
In 1981, he earned a Bachelor's Degree in History from the University of Ghana, Legon.
Subsequently, in 1986, he furthered his academic pursuits and earned a postgraduate diploma in communication from the same university.
He also earned a Master's Degree in Social Psychology from the Institute of Social Sciences in Moscow in 1988.
Career timeline
- 1991 to 1995: Mahama started his career as a high-school history teacher for a few years before working as the Information, Culture, and Research Officer at the Embassy of Japan in Accra.
- 1995 to 1996: He then joined Plan International, a humanitarian and development organization, as the international relations, sponsorship, communication, and grants manager for the Ghana office.
- 1996: He entered politics in 1996 when he was elected to Parliament as a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the Bole Bamboi constituency. He was reelected in 2000 and 2004.
- 1997 to 1998: He served as Deputy Minister for Communication
- 1998 to 2001: Mahama served as Minister for Communication under President Jerry Rawlings. He served on various parliamentary committees including Foreign Affairs, Finance, Trade and Industry, and Defense.
- 2008: John Mahama became John Evans Atta Mills' running mate in the 2008 presidential election and won in a close run-off against Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
- 7 January 2009: He became Vice-President of Ghana on January 7, 2009.
- 3 July 2012: Bloomsbury published his first book, "My First Coup d'État and Other True Stories From the Lost Decades of Africa."
- 24 July 2012: John Dramani Mahama assumed office as President of Ghana following the death of President Mills.
- December 2012: He was elected as President for a full term after defeating Nana Akufo-Addo again in a disputed election that was challenged at the Supreme Court but upheld by a majority verdict.
- He served as President until 7 January 2017.
Personal life
Mahama is married to Lordina Effah since 1992. They have seven children: Shafik, Shahid, Sharaf, Jesse, Farida, John Jr., and Nana Kwame.
