Ghana’s 2024 election resulted in John Dramani Mahama’s second presidential term. He won the election against Mahamudu Bawumia, who served eight years as Nana Akufo-Addo’s vice president, Nana Kwame Bediako and Alan Kyerematen. This is his second term after his first between 24 July 2012 and 7 January 2017. Besides that, Mahama has a storied political career. So, who is John Dramani Mahama?
Early Life and Education
John Dramani Mahama was born on 29 November 1958 in Damongo, Ghana. According to reports, he has three brothers: Alfred Abdullai Mahama, Ibrahim Mahama, and Samuel Adam Mahama. He grew up in a well-off family.
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His father, Emmanuel Adama Mahama, was a wealthy rice farmer, teacher, and politician. He was West Gonja constituency’s first regional commissioner of the Northern region under President Kwame Nkrumah.
Regarding his education, Mahama attended Accra Newtown Experimental School, Achimota School, Ghana Secondary School, Tamale, and the University of Ghana, Legon. He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in history and postgraduate studies in communication. Additionally, John Mahama attended the Institute of Social Sciences in Moscow, where he studied social psychology.
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Early Career
After graduation, Mahama taught history at Ghana Secondary School. However, the country’s economic situation forced him to join his father in exile in Nigeria. When he returned, Mahama worked as an information, culture, and research officer at the Embassy of Japan. He also worked at the Ghana office of Plan International and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Entry into Politics
John Mahama first entered politics in 1996. He was voted into the parliament of Ghana to represent the Bole-Bamboi constituency under the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The following year, he was appointed the minister of communications until 2001. He served two more terms and was also the minority parliamentary spokesman for communication. At the same time, he was climbing the ranks at the NDC and became the director of communications.
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Vice Presidency to Presidency
After serving in several political positions, including being a member of the Pan-African parliament, European and Pan-African Parliaments’ Ad hoc Committee on Cooperation, and Minority Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, he landed the second-highest political position in the country.
Although he served in these positions, his most significant milestone came in 2008 when he was picked as Professor John Evans Atta Mills and became the vice president of Ghana in 2009. Three years into his deputizing role, his boss, Atta Mills, died in office. He was later elected into office for his first four-year term.
Losing Presidency
After his first term, he ran for re-election in 2016 but was defeated by the prominent opposition leader, Nana Akufo-Addo. He got 44.4% votes against Addo’s 53.5% and peacefully conceded defeat. Four years later, he competed against Akufo-Addo again, lost for a second consecutive time, but challenged the election results.
Ghanaian lawyer and politician Haruna Iddrisu stated the party, National Democratic Congress (NDC) had overwhelming evidence the election wasn’t transparent. Additionally, Mahama, who got 47.36% of votes, claimed that the Akufo-Addo’s government “used the military to try and overturn some of the results in constituencies they have won.”
Despite Mahama’s claims, in 2021, Ghana’s Supreme Court upheld the results of the elections, and he begrudgingly admitted defeat, maintaining the elections were marred with irregularities.
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“The petitioner did not demonstrate in any way how the alleged errors… affected the validity of the (results),” said Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah.
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Reclaiming Presidency
In December 2024, Mahama was NDC’s flag-bearer with overwhelming support from the party, having garnered 98.9% of the votes. During the Ghanaian elections, he defeated his main rival, Mahamudu Bawumia and was inaugurated on January 7, 2025, for his second term.
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Life Behind Politics
John Mahama wrote My First Coup d’État: Memories from the Lost Decades of Africa, a book recounting his life experiences and how they intertwine with the political and historical landscape of post-independent Ghana and Africa.
Additionally, Mahama has written numerous articles for various publications including Ebony, the Louisville Courier-Journal, Huffington Post, The Root, Daily Graphic and the New York Times.
Final Thoughts
Who is John Dramani Mahama? This article details his life and times, giving you an insight into his education, political, and personal life. He comes from a wealthy family with political roots and has followed in his father’s footsteps. What do you expect from John Mahama’s presidency?
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