President John Dramani Mahama on Monday, October 19, paid a courtesy call on former President John Agyekum Kufuor at his residence, checking on the elder statesman’s well-being and exchanging views on national and international matters.
Mahama disclosed the visit in a post on his official Facebook page, writing: “I passed by the residence of President J.A Kufuor this afternoon to check on him and find out how he’s doing and also discuss some national and international issues” . Photographs shared alongside the post showed the two leaders appearing cheerful and at ease during the meeting .
The visit carries added significance given Mahama’s impending assumption of the African Union chairmanship. Kufuor, who turns 88 in December, remains Ghana’s only head of state to have chaired the continental body, holding the rotating chairmanship from 2007 to 2008. Mahama is set to take up the same post in January 2027, after West African leaders endorsed Ghana’s candidacy through ECOWAS in December 2025 .
It is not the first time Mahama has called on his predecessor during his current term. Around the turn of the year, he visited Kufuor at his home in Aburi in the Eastern Region to exchange season’s greetings .
A Relationship Spanning Political Divides
The two leaders share a political history that spans successive administrations. Mahama, who is serving a second non-consecutive term after winning the 2024 election, first succeeded Kufuor’s New Patriotic Party government in January 2009 after winning the 2008 presidential election, serving as vice-president under the late John Evans Atta Mills before assuming the presidency in 2012 . Kufuor led Ghana from January 2001 to January 2009 on the NPP ticket, winning two consecutive elections, and handed power to Mills in one of the peaceful transfers that have defined Ghana’s Fourth Republic .
Kufuor’s tenure is remembered for introducing the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Capitation Grant for basic schools, and the School Feeding Programme . In a 2017 interview, Kufuor described his relationship with Mahama as “very civil” and friendly, though he noted he never had the opportunity to offer political advice due to their different ideological leanings .
The gesture drew praise on social media, with many Ghanaians describing the encounter as a display of statesmanship and political maturity. Commenters noted that such visits foster national cohesion and continuity in governance, transcending party lines .
