Edward Mahama; a farmer, physician and politician

The Presidential Candidate of the People’s National Convection (PNC), Dr Edward Nasigre Mahama, is a professional physician, farmer and politician.

He was born at Sumniboma, near Nalerigu, in the Northern Region of Ghana on April 15, 1945, and spent his formative years at Nalerigu Primary and Middle School in Tamale from 1953 to 1959. He continued his education at the Tamale Secondary School (TAMASCO), where he successfully completed his ‘O’ level 1965.

In the same year, he gained admission to Ghana’s premier university, University of Ghana, Legon, and graduated with a medical degree in 1972.

Work experience

Having graduated from the university, Dr Mahama returned to Nalerigu as a medical doctor practising as a primary healthcare physician at the Baptist Medical Centre in 1974.
He worked with the facility for four years and was admired by most residents of the area for his ability to heal and empathise with patients.

Abroad

After serving the people of Nalerigu and its environs he travelled abroad for further studies and became an obstetrics and gynaecology physician in Chicago, Illinois.

During his stay in the United States, Dr Mahama was a staff physician in obstetrics and gynaecology on the Board of Health in Chicago and also served as a clinical instructor at Northwestern University in 1978 to 1990.

Back to Ghana

Despite the juicy benefits he got in the States, in 1990, the PNC leader returned home to serve his motherland, where he lectured at the University of Ghana Medical School and served as a Consultant at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in.

In 1994, he was elected a fellow of the West African College of Surgeons in 1994.

As a politician

In terms of his political career, Dr Mahama served the Mamprusi District Council from 1975 to 1976 before he travelled abroad for further studies.

For partisan politics, he led the PNC in the 1996 election through to 2008 until he was succeeded by Mr Hassan Ayariga in the 2012 presidential election.

He, however, never gave up and contested the presidential primary of the PNC in 2016 this year and won the election to become the leader and flag bearer of the PNC for the December 7 polls.

Campaign message

From 1996 to 2008, Dr Mahama and the PNC campaign was pivoted on four themes: subsidised agriculture, housing for low income earners, preventive health care, and free education from nursery to senior high school.

The PNC leader believed that Ghana was suffering from economic diabetes, that is, extreme poverty in the midst of abundant quality human and natural resource, and the PNC was the only party to salvage the country.

Most of his campaign pledges, Dr Mahama claimed, were implemented by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), explaining that both parties did not implement well, hence, his intention to contest the 2016 election, and when he is given the nod on December 7 he will implement it well.

The PNC manifesto for the 2016 election is hinged on, “new beginning, new deal and new force.”

Going into the 2016 election, he claimed that the founding fathers of the country, ‘The Big Six,’ had already endorsed him, attributing his conclusions to his number six on the ballot paper.

Dr Mahama is married with four children.