UMaT honours Ibrahim Mahama with honourary doctorate degree

The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, has conferred an honorary doctorate on Ghanaian businessman Ibrahim Mahama, Chief Executive Officer of Engineers and Planners (E&P), in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the mining sector and his impactful philanthropic efforts.

The prestigious honour was the centrepiece of UMaT’s 18th Special Congregation Ceremony, attended by President John Dramani Mahama and former President John Agyekum Kufuor, who serves as the university’s Chancellor.

In his address, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Richard Kwasi Amankwah praised Ibrahim Mahama for pioneering innovative technologies in mining and mine support services, which have enhanced efficiency, created thousands of jobs, and strengthened local participation in the industry. Both presidents lauded him for his dedication to national development and his role in advancing Ghana’s extractive sector.

Born in Tamale on January 29, 1971, Ibrahim Mahama received his early education at Tamale Senior High School before further studies at the College of Northwest London. He returned to Ghana in 1997 to establish Engineers & Planners as a heavy equipment rental and civil engineering company — a venture that has since evolved into one of West Africa’s largest indigenous-owned mining and construction firms.

Today, E&P holds major mining contracts at Tarkwa and Damang and maintains ownership interests in the Black Volta and Sankofa Gold Projects. Mahama has also diversified into cement production, poultry farming, and vehicle distribution, earning several industry awards, including African Industrialist of the Year and Mining and Engineering CEO of the Year.

Beyond business, he is widely respected for his charitable work, notably as a co-founder of the Joyce Tamakloe Cancer Foundation, where he has supported cancer awareness, treatment advocacy, and broader public health initiatives nationwide.

Expressing gratitude for the recognition, Ibrahim Mahama described the doctorate as a motivation to do even more for Ghana’s development and pledged to return to UMaT to inspire students by sharing his entrepreneurial journey.