In Ghanaian history, only one couple has raised a son who has served as an Assemblyman, Member of Parliament (MP), Deputy Minister, Minister, Vice President, and President. The couple is Emmanuel Adama Mahama and Abiba Nnaba.

Emmanuel Adama Mahama was a well respected educator, rice farmer, and politician. He was the first Minister of State for the Northern Region in Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's ministry, as well as the first Member of Parliament for the West Gonja Constituency. Later, under the Third Republic, he served as President Hilla Limann's senior presidential advisor. His wife, Abiba Nnaba, was essential in raising their family and motivating their son's dreams.

They raised John Dramani Mahama, who had an incredible political career. John Mahama began as an Assemblyman and progressed to MP, Deputy Minister, Minister, Vice President, and, eventually, President of Ghana.

On July 24, 2012, Mahama succeeded the presidency following the death of President John Evans Atta Mills, and he governed until January 7, 2017. He is largely expected to return as President of Ghana on January 7, 2025.



Prior to his presidency, Mahama was Vice President under Atta Mills and played an important role in governance. Under President Jerry John Rawlings, he was appointed Minister of Communications, where he oversaw considerable upgrading of Ghana's telecoms sector. Earlier in his career, as MP for the Bole Bamboi seat, he worked relentlessly to improve the lives of those he represented.

John Mahama's upbringing was influenced by his time in Damongo with his mother and then in Accra with his father. He attended Achimota Basic School, then Ghana Secondary School in Tamale, before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Ghana in 1981. He later did postgraduate studies in Communication Studies at the same university, which strengthened his intellectual basis.