A former President of the Republic of Ghana, HE John Dramani Mahama is a former Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the first Co-Chair of the United Nations Advocacy Group on the Sustainable Development Goals. He is currently the Chairperson of the Tana Forum, a high-level forum on security in Africa headquartered in Ethiopia. In recognition of his contributions as a leader and model to the African continent and around the globe, Mahama has been conferred several honorary doctoral degrees from distinguished universities across Africa and Europe. John Dramani Mahama is an avid reader, author, and historian. He has written for several newspapers and authored many publications, including his first book, a memoir entitled My First Coup D’État and Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa.Mahama made history by being the first President of Ghana to serve in all levels of political office – Member of Parliament for the Bole-Bamboi Constituency, Deputy Minister for Communication, Minister for Communication, Vice President and eventually President of the Republic of Ghana.