President John Dramani Mahama has come under criticism from some notable personalities, including the NPP’s 3rd National Vice Chairman, Nana Akomea, over his previous comments on sitting presidents receiving honorary degrees.
But what did he say?

President John Dramani Mahama, during his time in opposition, criticised former President Nana Akufo-Addo at a campaign event for receiving honorary degrees from various universities.

In the resurfaced video shared on TikTok and sighted by GhanaWeb on October 30, 2026, President Mahama stated that Akufo-Addo, while serving as president, should have waited until the end of his tenure before accepting such honorary doctorates.

According to him, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo pressured universities to confer the honours on him, a move Mahama described as unwarranted.

“He has gone to every university asking them to give him a doctorate, yet he is still the president. He should at least finish his tenure and allow the universities to decide whether they want to honour him for his work while he was president.

“He has forced all the universities in Ghana to give him a doctorate. I don’t know where he has taken them to,” he said.

The video has resurfaced following President Mahama’s recent receipt of two honorary doctorates in Moscow in a single day.

He became the first sitting Head of State to receive an honorary doctorate from the Russian University of Transport in recognition of his leadership and contributions to the development of transport and logistics infrastructure.

Since becoming President, John Mahama has received a total of 9 honorary doctorates, with 4 in 2026 alone.

Here is the breakdown below:

1. Ekiti State University, Nigeria - 2012

2. University of Ilorin, Nigeria - 2015

3. University of Aberdeen in Scotland- 2016

4. Igbinedion University in Okada, Nigeria - 2018

5. Lyon Business School in Lyon, France - 2018

6. Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea - 2026

7. Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, USA - 2026

8. Russian University of Transport in Moscow - 2026

9. Peoples' Friendship University of Russia in Moscow - 2026

Watch the video below: