VIDEO: UMaT confers honorary doctorate on Ibrahim Mahama

The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) conferred an honorary doctorate on Ibrahim Mahama, Founder of Engineers and Planners, during its 18th Special Congregation on Saturday, January 31.

The award recognizes Ibrahim Mahama’s contributions to Ghana’s industrial and infrastructure sectors, including mining, construction, biofuels, and transportation.

He recently acquired Azumah Resources, a move that expanded his influence in the country’s gold mining industry.

The ceremony was attended by  President John Mahama, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Mining magnate Sir Sam Jonah,  CEO of Minerals Commission Isaac Tandoh, other  government officials, university leadership, and the graduating class, highlighting both professional and academic achievements.

About Ibrahim Mahama

Ibrahim Mahama (born 29 January 1971) is a Ghanaian businessman and the founder of Engineers and Planners, the largest indigenous-owned mining company in West Africa. He also owns several other businesses in Ghana and is the younger brother of John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana from 2012 to 2016.

He was born in Piase in the Northern Region of Ghana to Emmanuel Adama Mahama, former Minister of Agriculture and the first Minister of the Northern Region under the first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. His mother, Joyce Tamakloe, was from Keta in the Volta Region of Ghana.

Mahama moved to the United Kingdom, where he studied at the College of North London. After completing his studies, he lived in London and worked for a property development company.

He founded Engineers & Planners in 1997 after returning to Ghana. The company now employs over 3,000 Ghanaians. Mahama has also invested in Asutsuare Poultry Farms, established in 2004, which produces 150,000 eggs and 10,000 live broilers daily.

He is also an investor in Dzata Cement Company, a fully Ghanaian-owned cement factory located in Tema. Construction of the factory began in 2011, and it started operations in the first quarter of 2018, with a projected creation of 1,200 direct jobs and an annual production capacity of 2 million tonnes of cement.

In 2018, Mahama received the African Achievers’ Award in London for African Industrialist of the Year during the 8th edition of the awards, held at the House of Commons. He owns a Bombardier 604 luxury private jet named Dzata, reportedly the first of its kind purchased by an individual in Ghana.

Following the loss of his mother to cancer, Mahama has championed charitable causes focused on cancer awareness. He co-founded the Joyce Tamakloe Cancer Foundation, which has raised funds for several hospitals in Ghana.