President John Dramani Mahama has shared a personal and reflective account of how a chance decision during his university admission process profoundly shaped his personality and leadership style.
Speaking at the 77th Annual New Year School and Conference of the University of Ghana, the President described how his unexpected placement into Commonwealth Hall—a hall he had been warned against—played a defining role in his transformation from a reserved student into a confident public speaker and national leader.
Addressing an audience made up of the Vice-Chancellor, senior faculty members, and students, President Mahama recalled arriving at the University of Ghana as a former sixth-form student who was naturally introverted.
“I left secondary school as a young introvert,” he admitted. “I wasn’t very expressive and didn’t like making too many friends.”
Before entering the university, National Service personnel—mostly alumni of Legon Hall, Mensah Sarbah Hall, and Akuafo Hall—had strongly cautioned him against selecting Commonwealth Hall, which they portrayed as a place for unruly students.
“They said it was a hall of rascals,” Mahama recounted, adding that he was warned choosing the hall would “demonize” him.
Guided by those warnings, he listed Commonwealth Hall as his last choice when filling out his admission forms, placing Legon Hall first, followed by Mensah Sarbah and Akuafo Halls.
However, fate had other plans.
According to President Mahama, the university had taken an unusual decision that year: applicants who chose Commonwealth Hall first were deliberately placed elsewhere, while those who ranked it last were assigned there.
“As destiny would have it, I was sent to Commonwealth Hall,” he said with a smile.
That unexpected placement, he noted, changed his life.
“To believe that today I can stand before 100,000 people and say whatever I want confidently is what Commonwealth Hall made me into,” President Mahama stated. “It turned me into an extrovert. It made me expressive.”
He fondly recalled embracing the hall’s vibrant culture and traditions, including “ponding people,” singing at the Bacchus shrine, and taking part in the energetic pre-exam Mfodwo demonstrations designed to boost morale and courage among students.
The President also shared personal memories of his time on campus, including staying in Room A36 with Boadu Ayeboafo of the Graphic Corporation and later sharing Room J40 with his friend Ntow Boahene during his postgraduate studies.
Reflecting on his journey, President Mahama expressed deep appreciation for the University of Ghana, describing it as a place that played a crucial role in shaping his character.
“Anytime I walk through the gates of this university, I feel a deep sense of nostalgia,” he said. “This institution has contributed greatly to molding me into what I have become.”
He concluded by commending the current university administration, led by the Vice-Chancellor, for their efforts to uphold and protect the reputation of Ghana’s premier university.
