Mahama was born into a political family

John Dramani Mahama’s father, Emmanuel Adama Mahama, served as the first member of Parliament for the West Gonja constituency, as well as the first regional commissioner of the Northern Region during the First Republic (under Ghana’s first president Kwame Nkrumah), setting the stage for John to follow in his father’s footsteps. Emmanuel also served as a senior presidential advisor during Ghana’s Third Republic under Hilla Limann.

He is fluent in six languages

Mahama is said to be fluent in six languages, making him an ideal international spokesman. He fluently speaks English, Akan (Twi and Fante), Ga, Gonja, Dagbani, and Hausa, and is also proficient in Ewe and Russian.

Mahama has degrees in social psychology, communication and others

Initially studying at the University of Ghana, Legon, Mahama received his bachelor’s degree in history in 1981 and his postgraduate diploma in communication studies in 1986. Following that, he went to study at the Institute of Social Sciences in Moscow in the then-Soviet Union, earning another postgraduate degree, this time in social psychology, in 1988.

He is Ghana’s first president to serve at all levels of political office

Mahama has an impressive record within Ghanaian politics, having served as the Ghanaian and Pan-African MP, deputy minister, minister, vice president, and president.

He is Ghana’s first head of state to have been born after Ghana’s declaration of independence

Born on March 6, 1957, Mahama is the first president of Ghana to have been born after independence. The comparatively young leader represents a paradigm shift away from the paternalism common in African politics to a new generation of progress indicative of the post-independence boom.

Mahama’s work towards improving relations with Cuba earned him the Friendship Medal

Mahama earned a reputation as a champion of the Cuban cause, lifting Ghana’s 50-year economic embargo against the communist country, and working to free Cuban nationals detained by the U.S. government.

Mahama is one of the most-followed African leaders on social media

Mahama is well known for his love of social media, and is an insatiable Tweeter and Facebook updater. He is well respected for making the effort to connect to his younger constituents through social media, making his mark as a “modern day president.”

His family is multi faith, consisting of both Christians and Muslims

Married to Lordina Dramani Mahama, John Dramani Mahama was himself born and raised a Presbyterian Christian, but is now a member of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, through his marriage. He and his wife have seven children together, and his family tree includes members of both Christian and Muslim faiths.

He has written for many publications, both locally and internationally

Beyond publications in a wide variety of respected newspapers and magazines, Mahama also wrote Mahama’s Hammer — a semi-regular popular column in a Ghanaian newspaper. He is also the author of a memoir, “My First Coup d’État and Other True Stores From the Lost Decades of Africa,” and has been a featured speaker at the TEDx Great Pacific Garbage Patch Conference in Santa Monica, due to his commitment to environmental issues.

Mahama is a huge fan of Afrobeat music

A huge fan of Nigerian artist Fela Kuti, Mahama has become known for his love of Afrobeat music. In an interview, Mahama discussed Kuti’s importance in the socially conscious music world, citing Kuti’s criticism of corruption and brutality as crucial in giving people “an outlet for our outrage and frustrations.”

Source: GhanaNation.com