Former President John Dramani Mahama turns 60 years today, Thursday, 29 November 2016.

Mr Mahama joined the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 1996 where he was elected to the Parliament of Ghana to represent the Bole/Bamboi Constituency for a four-year term.

He was re-elected in 2000 and in 2004.

During this time, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Communications in 1997, full Minister of Communications from 1998 until 2001, Minority Parliamentary Spokesman for Communications from 2001 until 2005, and Minority Parliamentary Spokesman for Foreign Affairs from 2005 until 2008.

While being Minister of Communications, John Dramani Mahama also served as the Chairman of the National Communications Authority, and played a key role in stabilising Ghana’s telecom sector.

On 7 January 2009, John Dramani Mahama became the Vice-President of Ghana, remaining in the post until President John Atta Mills’ untimely death on 24 July 2012, when, in line with Ghana’s Constitution, he became President of the Republic.

He also served as a member of the Pan African Parliament based in Pretoria, South Africa from 2004 to 2011, where he was Chairman of the West Africa Caucus.

In December 2012, he was elected President of Ghana for a four-year term.

He thus made political history by becoming the first Ghanaian head of state to have been born after Ghana’s declaration of independence on 6 March 1957.

He lost the 2016 election to the current president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Mr Mahama is seeking re-election from delegates of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to become the party’s flag bearer for the 2020 elections.