Accra, April 9, GNA - Mr. John Dramani Mahama, a communication consultant, is the running mate of Professor John Atta Mills, flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), for the forthcoming 2008 elections, Party officials confirmed on Wednesday. Mr. Mahama, who is the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Bole-Bamboi, was born on November 29, 1958 at Damongo into a family of a rich political tradition dating back to the First Republic. His father, Mr Emmanuel Adama Mahama was the first MP for Gonja West and the first Regional Commissioner of the Northern Region during the First Republic.

Mr. John Mahama is currently Minority Parliamentary Spokesman for Foreign Affairs and member of the Pan African Parliament, representing Ghana for a five-year term ending 2008.

An eloquent champion of the underprivileged, Mr. Mahama is very much concerned about the plight of the people, especially rural communities, whom he always regarded as producers of the bulk of Ghana's raw materials and food requirements, but vulnerable.

"As a practical demonstration and as a man of the people who backs his words with deeds, John, even before contesting for the parliamentary seat of Bole, assisted in exploring avenues for the provision of hostel facilities to students of Bole Secondary School.

"He is one person who detests personality cult and always welcomes constructive criticisms," said Mr Ibrahim Mahama, his brother, who described the MP as "a man who has sworn never to impose his ideas on the people in his constituency but would always seek counsel from them." Mr. Mahama had his secondary education up to 'A' Level at Ghana Secondary School, Tamale, and proceeded to the University of Ghana where he obtained a degree in History in 1981.

In 1986, he graduated from the School of Communication Studies. He pursued a two-year special post-graduate programme at the Institute of Social Sciences in Moscow, specializing in Social Psychology.

From 1991 to 1996, he worked as the Information, Culture and Research Officer at the Embassy of Japan in Accra. He moved to Plans International, Ghana Country Office as International Relations, Sponsorship Communications and Grants Manager the same year. Mr. Mahama has had additional professional training both at home and abroad.

In 1993, he participated in a course for Overseas Public Relations Staff, organized by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also participated in a management development course organized by PLAN International (RESA) in Nairobi, Kenya.

He was first elected to the Parliament of Ghana in 1996 to represent the Bole/Bamboi Constituency for a four-year term. He was appointed Deputy Minister of Communications in April 1997 and rose to become the substantive Minister of Communications in November 1998, a position he held until January 2001 when the NDC Administration handed over power to the Kufuor-led government of the New Patriotic Party.

As Minister, Mr Mahama served as Chairman of the National Communications Authority. In this capacity, he played a key role in stabilizing Ghana's telecommunications sector after it was deregulated in 1997.

He served as a member of the National Economic Management team and also a member of the Implementation Committee of the 2000 National Population Census, and a founding member of the Ghana AIDS Commission.

He also served as deputy chairman of the Publicity Committee for the re-introduction of Value Added Tax.

Mr. Mahama was re-elected in 2000 as MP for Bole/Bamboi for another four-year period. He again won the seat in 2004 for a third term. From 2001 to 2004, he served as Minority Parliamentary spokesman for Communications. In 2002, he was appointed Director of Communications of the NDC.

In 2002, Mr. Mahama was among International Observers who watched Zimbabwe's parliamentary elections.

He is a Member of the UNDP Advisory Committee on Conflict Resolution in Ghana.

Mr. Mahama attended numerous conferences and won many Fellowships, including a study at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA. He is also a Gates Fellow. He is married to Lordina and they have four children.