Personal life and interest Ghanaian First Lady Lordina Mahama on 3 June 2014.John Dramani Mahama is married to Lordina Dramani Mahama, born Lordina Effah on 6 March 1963. Mahama has seven children. He is aChristian, born and raised a Presbyterian but is now a member of Assemblies of God, Ghana due to marriage.[7] His family is multi-faith consisting of Christians and Muslims. Mahama is also apolyglot, fluent in six languages, specifically;English, Akan, Ga, Gonja, Dagbani and Hausa and proficient in Ewe and Russian.[17][18] Being a staunch campaigner for sustainability, he has a keen interest in environmental affairs, particularly the problem of single-use plastic waste pollution in Africa, which he committed himself to addressing during his tenure as Vice President.[19]Over the course of his career he has written for several newspapers and other publications both locally and internationally. As a Parliamentarian, Mahama wrote Mahamas Hammer, a semi-regular column in a Ghanaian newspaper. His essays have also been published in the Daily Graphic, Ebony, Huffington Post, the Louisville Courier-Journal, the New York Times andTheRoot.[20] [21][22][4] [23] Additionally, he was a featured speaker at the TEDx Great Pacific Garbage Patch Conference in Santa Monica.[4]Mahama is also a devotee of Afrobeat musicespecially that of Fela Kuti.[24] Apart from his hobby of reading, Mahama also has a passionate interest in innovation particularly the use oftechnology in agriculture being a farmer himself. In particular, he is interested in finding the most effective ways to improve agricultural productivity and works to encourage more young people to see farming as a viable business and not a subsistence activity. This has translated into his passion to see the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) create new opportunities for people living in the Savanna areas of the country, which includes the three Northern Regions, and the VoltaRegion. Even on official assignments outside of country, Mahama likes to take advantage of opportunities to visit agricultural establishments and update himself on current trends and developments. He also takes keen interest in the opportunities for simplifying and making tasks easier with the use of information and communications technology, and considers the ICTindustry one of the sectors that can play a significant role in economic transformation and job creation.[5] Books The John Dramani Mahamas first book, a memoir called My First Coup dÉtat and Other True Stories From the Lost Decades of Africa, was published byBloomsbury on 3 July 2012.[25][26][27][28] The most promising son of an affluent government minister, he spends his childhood shuttling in his fatherschauffeur-driven cars, from his elite boarding school Achimota School in Accra to his manyhomes. He recalls in its first chapter the day in 1966 when he learned of the ousting of Ghanas founding president, Kwame Nkrumah, in a military coup: When I look back on my life its clear to me that this moment marked the awakening of my consciousness. It changed my life and influenced all the moments that followed.[29] Honours and awards John Dramani Mahama at the UNDP in 2010John Dramani Mahama received an honorary doctorate in the field of Public Administration, from the Ekiti State University of Nigeria, formerly affiliated to the Obafemi Awolowo University in recognition of his politico-socio economic development of Ghana and Africa at various stages of his political career.[30] Later the same university passed a resolution to name its Faculty ofManagement Science after him.[31]The Cuban government, recognising his relentless advocacy for the Cuban cause, namely the lifting of the 50-year economic embargo on the communist country and for the freedom of the detained Cuban five by the United States government, conferred on him the Friendship Medal.[32] The General Council of Assemblies of God, Ghana honoured Mahama with its Daniel Award .[33] The Graduate School of Governance and Leadership also awarded him the African Servant Leadership Award while the Institute of Public Relations recognized Mr. Mahama with a prize for his leadership acumen and technocratic flair.[32] In 2013, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) conferred on Mahama the Africa Award for Excellence in Food Security and Poverty Reduction.[34]Mr. Mahama has also attended numerous conferences and won many fellowships, including a study as a visiting scholar at The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA. He is also a Bill GatesFellow.[6] He was awarded the Great Cross of the National Order of Benin the highest Award in Benin by President Yayi Boni. [35]
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 08:37:36 +0000