Ibrahim Mahama is a household name in the Ghanaian business environment with a number of businesses dotted all over Ghana. Ibrahim has had his own share of the Ghanaian hate against local business entrepreneurs.
It’s one false premise that preaches that almost every successful Ghanaian businessman is either corrupt or may have been aided by the political establishment of the day. In the case of Ibrahim however, the witch-hunt went beyond the rumours and the perception that his successful business story was politically-induced.
Even the newly political order bought into the rumours and made it seemed like his brother, former President Mahama, helped, nurtured and guided his rise to the zenith of his business.
Meanwhile, before his brother assumed the presidency, Ibrahim was one of the young fast-rising Ghanaian businessmen. That record did not matter to those who were bent at all cost, to pull him and his businesses down.
Now time is proving that Ibrahim’s successes in business enterprises is an innate gift that cannot be diluted by peripheral gossip from haters. His brother, former President Mahama has been out of power some five years ago, yet Ibrahim’s businesses continue to glow and grow.
Recently, Ibrahim commissioned the first wholly Ghanaian owned private sector cement factory situated on about 10-acre land, near the Tema Port, just opposite the Dangote Cement Factory. Dangote cement is owned by another African of Nigerian descent, Aligo Dangote.
The over 200 million-dollar plant is expected to produce an average of 120 bags of cement per minute from its two production lines and is expected to create over five thousand direct and indirect jobs. The cement product is packaged with an embossment of a lion’s image. The lion in our local parlance or in Akan language means “Dzata”.
The resilience of the Dzata (Lion) symbol
The lion has regularly been labelled as the king of the jungle. That is indeed true, when you consider the predatory trait of the carnivorous animal. But there are equally other hidden traits of the lion; and many business people, especially those in Africa, may have adopted parts of the lion’s traits to ensure they beat every odd associated with the establishment of business in Ghana or in other parts of Africa.
Certainly, Ibrahim’s success and the fact that he chose the Dzata (Lion) among all other names for his cement product, clearly shows how he may have studied and adopted some traits of the lion to get to where he is in Ghanaian business. The lion among many other traits, is the symbol of majesty, courage, strength, protection, family, wisdom, etc.
The lion still roams throughout the African continent as well as Asia and Europe and that should give an inkling that Ibrahim set up the Dzata cement with the mindset that it will eventually become a product with a global appeal.
The lion is also seen as an embodiment of power and influence. Ibrahim Mahama thus built the Dzata cement plant believing it will overcome every obstacle, particularly artificial road-barriers and leave an in-print, no matter how large or small it may be.
The Ghanaian businessman has through his Dzata cement product, shown that he can adopt and succeed in the hostile Ghanaian business environment just as the way the lion represents the ability to adopt to any given situation.
The lion is a symbol of authority and exudes confidence and charm. Most other animals succumb to the authority of the lion because they control their domains. It does therefore seem Ibrahim’s Dzata Factory is also built to dominate the cement market in many years to come.
The lion further offers leadership which could translate into the need for any businessman or business owner who wants to succeed in Ghana ought to step up and take the lead, despite the given hostile business environment we find ourselves.
And that is exactly what Ibrahim Mahama has done; taking inspiration from the lead role of the lion to build that huge cement factory, just as some of the greatest leaders took the bold steps to lead, no matter the problems.
The lion exudes fearlessness and confidence. It’s a kind of lion spirit that encouraged Ibrahim to summon his inner lion to make Dzata cement product come into fruition. Ibrahim may be aware of the unfriendly Ghanaian business environment, yet he applied the wisdom of the lion that says you should always move with care and create perfect awareness of your environment, if you want to succeed in any human endeavour.
Who is Ibrahim Mahama
Ibrahim Mahama is a 50-year-old Ghanaian businessman, born 29 January 1971 and the owner of Engineers and Planners, easily the largest indigenous-owned Ghanaian mining company in West Africa. He also owns several other businesses in Ghana. Ibrahim studied at the College of North London and lived in London for a while after his education and worked for a property development company.
Mahama started his own company, Engineers & Planners in 1997 after re-locating to Ghana from his overseas sojourn. Engineers and Planners currently, employs over 3000 Ghanaians. Ibrahim has also invested in Asutsuare Poultry Farms, which was started in 2004 and produces 150,000 eggs and 10,000 live broilers a day.
Northern Ghana
Mahama is one of the most recognized businessmen who supports Northern Ghana and many of the 400 deprived Zongo communities in Ghana. Apart from helping with the upkeep of the many Zongo families, he is still providing education, healthcare, employment as well as funding projects within the Zongo communities.
He currently, is in the process of building a 550-bed dormitory for his alma-mater, the Tamale Secondary School. Following the loss of his mother to breast cancer, Ibrahim Mahama has become a walking obsession against breast cancer by creating awareness on different types of cancer diseases.
In that regard, he has teamed up with others to establish the Joyce Tamakloe (his mother) Cancer Foundation which has raised funds for several hospitals in Ghana as his contribution towards the fight against cancer.
The Foundation has provided free mammograms for over 1000 women across the country. The foundation played a key role in ensuring that breast cancer patients receive treatments under the National Health Insurance in Ghana.
He is married to Oona Mahama and they have three children. He is the younger brother of Mr. John Dramani Mahama, a former President of the Republic of Ghana from 2013 to 2017.He uses a Bombardier 604 luxury private jet, named Dzata; and was the first individual to own one in Ghana.
Mahama received the 2018 African Achievers’ Award in London, for African Industrialist of the year 2018 - during the 8th edition of the African Achievers awards that took place in the House of Commons, London.
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