I am ready to serve nation - John Mahama

Accra, May 7, GNA - Mr John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday accepted to be the running mate to Professor John Evans Atta Mills, Flag Bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and pledged to work for the Party to win Election 2008.

He said to Professor Mills; "I am ready to take up the position, you have assigned to me as your running mate and I am ready to take up the responsibility of being your Vice-President come January 2009." Mr Mahama said to a cheering crowd in his acceptance speech shortly after the Flag Bearer formally introduced him at the launch of the Party's national campaign: "I pledge to you, Professor Mills, before this great assembly that I will work for you and with you, and I will do everything that is in my power to help to make ours a winning team, not only for the NDC but for Ghana to become a better country for all of us."

Mr Mahama said it should dawn on members that the task facing the country required going beyond claims of belief in the country to showing commitment to selfless service and sacrifice. "A lot of hard work is needed to invest in the people, jobs and the economy so as to build a better Ghana in which the nation's prosperity will not just be for a few but will be for the benefit of all as you clearly have so outlined," he said.

While admitting that the task ahead would be difficult, Mr Mahama said he believed in the sterling leadership qualities of Prof. Mills to see the Party through to victory. "I am ready for the hard work, I know your leadership will make it happen.

I am determined to support you to uphold our constitution and protect the human rights of our people. Their right to the basic things of life such as food, shelter, clothing, education, among other things," Mr Mahama said.

He reiterated the need for all contesting political parties to engage in a clean campaign devoid of insults but focused on the daily issues affecting the life of Ghanaians. Mr Mahama was born 49 years ago. He is married to Lordina and has seven children.

Mr Mahama started school at the Achimota Primary School and went on to secondary school at the Ghana Secondary School in Tamale. He proceeded thereafter to the University of Ghana, Legon, where he obtained a BA degree in History in 1981.

In 1986, he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Communication Studies at the University of Ghana, Legon. He also undertook further Postgraduate Studies in Social Psychology at the Institute of Social Sciences in Moscow in 1988.

Mr Mahama was employed as Information Officer at the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Ghana from 1991 to 1995. He moved on to join the non-governmental organization, Plan International, as Sponsorship and Grants Manager in the Ghana Country Office from 1995 to 1996. He was elected to his first term as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bole-Bamboi Constituency on the ticket of the NDC in December 1996. Mr Mahama served as Deputy Minister of Communications from April 1997 to November 1998 and then served as the substantive Minister of Communications from November 1998 to January 2001. He acted as Chairman of the National Communications Authority, the regulatory agency for the telecommunications and Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector from November 1998 to January 2001.

Mr Mahama was re-elected MP for Bole-Bamboi Constituency in December 2000 and again won re-election to a third term in December 2004. He was Spokesman on Communications for the Minority in Parliament between 2001 and 2004.

From 2005 to date Mr Mahama has been the Minority Spokesman for Foreign Affairs. He has, from 1997 to date, also been a member of the following committees of Parliament - Appointments Committee; Communications Committee and the Standing Orders Committee of Parliament.

He has been a Member of the Pan-African Parliament based in Pretoria, South Africa from 2004 to date and is the Chairman of the West African Caucus in the Pan-African Parliament. Mr Mahama is a member of the Transport, Industry, Energy, Communications, Science and Technology Committee of the Pan-African Parliament as well as a member of the European and Pan-African Parliaments' Ad-hoc Committee on Co-operation.

He has been Director of Communications for the NDC from 2002 to date and a member of the election observer and monitoring team for the Zimbabwe Presidential elections in 2002.