In the narrative of modern Ghanaian development, certain names become synonymous not just with political tenure, but with a profound and lasting transformation of the human spirit.
Her Excellency Lordina Dramani Mahama stands as one such figure—a humanitarian whose commitment to Ghana’s most vulnerable transcends political cycles and speaks to the core values of service, dignity, and national progress.
As the founder and guiding light of the Lordina Foundation (LF), Mrs. Mahama has not merely engaged in charity; she has engineered a human-centered movement dedicated to changing the destiny of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and women across the nation.
Her philosophy is simple yet revolutionary: “The more we share, the more we have”. This ethos has powered a Foundation that functions as an indispensable engine of development, driving meaningful change where governmental resources often fall short.
This is the story of a mother, an advocate, and a nation-builder whose work, characterized by moral courage and strategic deployment of resources, has averted crises, restored dignity, and cemented her legacy as one of Ghana’s most impactful philanthropic leaders.Lordina Mahama’s most profound intervention lies in confronting the brutal reality of Ghana’s maternal and infant mortality crisis. The Foundation’s action was not emotional impulse, but a precise, targeted response to devastating national statistics.
She personally cited data from the Ministry of Health, painting a heartbreaking picture: every single month, over 3,000 Ghanaian babies do not survive to see their first birthday. The country contends with an Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of 52 deaths per 1,000 live births, and a Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) of 103 per 100,000 live births—figures tragically compounded in the northern regions.“No mother, anywhere, should face childbirth gripped by such fear for her life or her baby.
It is an injustice we cannot, and we must not accept,” Mrs. Mahama declared, establishing the mission: to “restore dignity, prevent maternal and infant deaths, and provide communities with safer spaces to give birth”.
The response was the launch of a nationwide maternity project, focused entirely on the most underserved areas. The Foundation’s portfolio boasts:The construction of a vital 45-bed model maternity and children’s ward at the Bole District Hospital in the Savanna Region.New, state-of-the-art wards built in places like Nkoranza and Bodom.The renovation and modernization of facilities such as the Hohoe Adabraka Health Centre.Crucially, the LF ensures that infrastructure is matched by capability.
The Foundation’s donations include sophisticated, life-saving critical care tools necessary for both mothers and newborns: Incubators, Phototherapy Machines, Delivery Beds, and fully furnished theatres. By providing specialized neonatal equipment, Lordina Mahama has effectively injected specialized, life-saving capacity directly into remote district hospitals, guaranteeing that quality care reaches those furthest from privilege.Her commitment to this cause is personal and enduring. She affirmed that many of these critical projects commenced even when her husband and his party were in the political opposition, establishing her work not as a function of office, but as an unwavering humanitarian mission.
Perhaps the most powerful testament to the Lordina Foundation’s dedication to human dignity is its unwavering commitment to the women and girls residing in the Gambaga Witch Camp in the North-East Region. The intervention here is an act of profound moral courage, tackling the violent stigmatization and ostracization of women accused of witchcraft.The Foundation understood that simple charity was not enough; these women needed empowerment and protection.
Lordina Mahama initiated the construction of the Gambaga Training Centre. This facility provides essential vocational training and entrepreneurial skills to the residents and nearby communities, complete with a student hostel for safety and stability.
By focusing on economic autonomy, the LF addresses the root cause of vulnerability—isolation and dependence. This commitment to restoring the human rights and dignity of these ostracized women earned the Lordina Foundation external validation, receiving commendation in the United States Department report for 2013. Furthermore, the Foundation provides ongoing welfare support, including food and essential logistics, and even supplied a vehicle to assist partners in delivering sensitization programs and transporting beneficiaries for critical healthcare access.
The success of the Foundation’s high-impact projects rests on Mrs. Mahama’s exceptional capacity to leverage global partnerships and her international ‘soft power.’She served with distinction as the Former President of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) and as the Premier HIV Ambassador for the UNAIDS Global Plan to Eliminate Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (eMTCT). This global recognition has made the Foundation highly attractive to critical international donors.
The collaboration with two American foundations, the African Development Foundation (ADF) and the Helping Africa Foundation (HAF), resulted in a high-profile fundraising gala in New York, which successfully rallied crucial international financial support specifically for the nationwide maternity projects.Beyond capital, the Foundation focuses on human capacity.
Mrs. Mahama proudly lauded the strategic partnership with the Merck Foundation, which provided medical training scholarships to strengthen Ghana’s healthcare system. She announced that 210 Ghanaian doctors are among the beneficiaries of this global scholarship program. This fusion of foreign capital for infrastructure and specialized training for personnel creates a robust, self-sustaining model for healthcare excellence.
This same commitment to empowerment is seen in its provision of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). To ensure skills translate into livelihoods, the LF supplies destitute artisans with vital start-up kits upon graduation.
This crucial final step eliminates the economic barrier to entry, fostering entrepreneurship and meaningful, immediate livelihoods.Lordina Dramani Mahama’s personal conviction—that genuine reward is “not measured by figures but by the smiles we bring to the faces we help”—is the moral compass guiding the Foundation’s extraordinary output.Her work stands in strategic alignment with Ghana’s most pressing national needs and the core principles of global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in health, education, and gender equality.
Through her efforts, women are giving birth in dignity, the ostracized are gaining skills for freedom, and brilliant young Ghanaians are accessing scholarships to define their futures. Her life is a profound testament to the power of compassion, education, and service.
The Lordina Foundation’s mission—”to restore hope and empower lives, one family, one community at a time”—is not just a motto; it is the enduring, vibrant legacy of a transformative First Lady and an indispensable force in nation-building.Ghana, and indeed Africa, remains deeply indebted to this exemplary humanitarian.
By Raymond Ablorh
