[GHHANA] Biography Of Ibrahim Mahama

 

Biography Of Ibrahim Mahama

 

Ibrahim Mahama is a renowned Ghanaian businessman, a philanthropist and the founder of Engineers and Planners, the largest indigenous-owned mining company in West Africa, and the owner of several other businesses in Ghana. He is also the younger brother of John Dramani Mahama, former President of Ghana from 2012 to 2016.

Ibrahim Mahama was born on the 29th of January 1971 in Piase in the Northern region of Ghana to elite parents  Emmanuel Adama Mahama and Joyce Tamakloe. Ibrahim’s father Emmanuel Adama Mahama was former Minister of Agriculture and the first Minister of the Northern Region under the first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

Ibrahim Mahama had his basic education in Ghana, but later travelled to the United Kingdom where he studied at the College of North London. However in his third year Ibrahim Mahama dropped out after realising that he was more passionate about entrepreneurship and the classroom was not bringing that out of him. Ibrahim continued to stay in London where he worked with a property development company and while working he learnt how most UK businesses were passed on from one generation to another.

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In 1997, the 26 years old Ibrahim Mahama returned to Ghana to set up a Heavy Duty equipment rental company—Engineers & Planners. To practise what he’s always been passionate about.

No long after his return, Ibrahim Mahama noticed a business opportunity when the then Ghanaian government decided to privatise all state owned mining companies.

Ibrahim Mahama expanded his business model to take advantage of the privatisation by the state. Today Engineers and Planners has built a huge portfolio in Ghana, and is the largest indigenous-owned mining company in West Africa. Working for mining giants such as Golden Star Resources and Goldfields Ghana. The company currently employs about 3000 workers working on both the Damang and Tarkwa mines owned by South African Goldfields. The company also continues to work on other projects across the country including road construction, earth moving and civil engineering works.

Ibrahim Mahama is a diversified and a serial entrepreneur, he is also the owner of Man Bosch Ghana Limited, (MBG) a company representing MAN DIESEL trucks in Ghana. He is also founded Dzata Cement company, a fully Ghanaian-owned cement processing factory located in Tema. The construction of the factory began in 2011, and is expected to start mass production in June 2021 although it has already rolled some product to test the market.

Ibrahim Mahama has not limited his business operation only to Ghanaian borders, but has extended his tentacles to other African countries. His company was the first to open up the Liberian economy to commercial mining activities after over two decades of civil war when he won the contract to mine the iron ore concession for Arcellor Mittal in Yekepa, Liberia.

Amidst all these successes it is also worthy to note that, Ibrahim Mahama had his own share of challenges. One of such challenges was that most people did not believe in his idea in the initial stages such that he could not get that much financial support in the early stages of his business, even at a point transportation to his mining site in Tarkwa was a challenge, because he was not having a car. Nonetheless, he did not let any of these challenges stop him.

Personal Life

Ibrahim Mahama is married to Oona Mahama and together they have three children.

Honours and Awards

Mahama received the 2018 African Achievers’ Award in London, for African Industrialist of the year 2018 – during the 8th edition African Achievers awards that took place in the House of Commons in London.

Philanthropy

As a result of losing his mother to breast cancer in 2005, Ibrahim Mahama was motivated to co-found the Joyce Tamakloe Cancer foundation. A charity cause geared towards creating awareness on different types of cancer. Through the foundation Ibrahim Maham has helped raised funds for many hospitals in Ghana towards the fight against cancer. The foundation has also provided about 1000 women with free mammograms across Ghana.

Ibrahim Mahama is also known for his work in the Zongo communities and the Northern region of Ghana. Ghana has about 400 Zongo communities, communities that is described by many as less endowed communities. Ibrahim Mahama has help provide education, health care and employment within some of these communities. He is currently in the process of building a 550-bed dormitory for his alma mater , Tamale Secondary School in the Northern Region of Ghana, after a fire destroyed an existing dormitory.