Ibrahim Mahama is a
Ghanaian
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
, and
civil servant
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
. He was Ghana's Commissioner for Secretariats and Departments from 1967 to 1968 and
Commissioner for Information from 1968 to 1969.
Early life and education
Mahama is born in Tibung (a town close to
Tamale
A tamale, in Spanish tamal, is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Tamale ...
) in the
Northern Territories of the then
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
in 1936.
After staying with his parents for fifteen (15) years,
he decided to go to school all by himself.
He began his early education at the Savelugu Primary School from 1951 to 1953, and the Dagomba District Middle School from 1954 to 1955.
A year later, he enrolled at the Government Secondary School, Tamale (now
Tamale Senior High School
Tamale Senior High School formerly Government Secondary School, Tamale, Gbewaa Secondary School, and more recently Tamale Secondary School is a co-educational second cycle boarding school located at Education Ridge, a suburb of the Sagnarigu ...
), where he studied until 1962.
That same year, he gained admission to study at the
University of Ghana
The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities.
The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...
.
There, he obtained his
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
degree in 1965 and his Practical Law Certificate in 1966.
Career and politics
Following his studies at the
University of Ghana
The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities.
The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...
, Mahama worked as a private legal practitioner at the Law Chambers in
Accra
Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
.
He was appointed Commissioner for Secretariats and Departments in 1967. He served in that capacity until 1968.
Mahama was elected during the
1969 Ghanaian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Ghana on 29 August 1969, the first since the 1966 coup by the National Liberation Council which toppled the Nkrumah government.
Voters elected the new 140-seat Parliament. Kofi Abrefa Busia, the leader of the ...
as member of the first parliament of the second republic of Ghana on the ticket of the
National Alliance of Liberals
The National Alliance of Liberals (NAL) was a political party in Ghana during the Second Republic (1969–1972). The party was formed after the ban on party politics was lifted in May 1969 and was dissolved along with all other political part ...
(NAL). He represented the Tamale constituency from 1 October 1969 to 13 January 1972. He was succeeded by Alhaji Abubakar Alhassan of the
Social Democratic Front (SDF) in the
1979 Ghanaian general election.
Personal life
Mahama's hobbies included swimming, debating, watching football, photography and current affairs.
See also
*
National Liberation Council
The National Liberation Council (NLC) led the Ghanaian government from 24 February 1966 to 1 October 1969. The body emerged from a ''coup d'état'' against the Nkrumah government carried out jointly by the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Armed For ...
*
References
1936 births
Ghanaian civil servants
20th-century Ghanaian lawyers
Ghanaian educators
Living people
Ghanaian MPs 1969–1972
National Alliance of Liberals politicians
Tamale Senior High School alumni
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