President John Dramani Mahama has been conferred with an honorary doctorate by the Russian University of Transport in Moscow, the Federation’s capital.
The conferment ceremony was held at the University’s grand auditorium on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
According to the University, President Mahama becomes the first sitting Head of State to receive such an honour from the institution.
In a citation, the institution’s Academic Council lauded President Mahama for his visionary leadership and commitment to national development, particularly in infrastructure and education.
Delivering his acceptance speech, President Mahama expressed gratitude to the University and dedicated the honour to the people of Ghana.
“I bring you the greetings and friendship of the Government and people of Ghana, with whom I share this honour,” he said.
He highlighted the critical role of transport infrastructure in national development, stressing how both the formal and informal sectors largely rely on transport to thrive.
“Farmers’ harvests gain value because they can be moved from the farm to the market. A young person’s prospects improve when reliable transport connects his home to school or work,” he said.
President Mahama outlined Ghana’s infrastructure agenda, including the construction of a new port at Tema, reconstruction of major road networks, expansion of airports and development of the railway network.
He shared his optimism of ensuring that the national airline which has collapsed for the past three decades would be revived before his tenure comes to an end.
“Even as I speak, we are working on rebuilding our cherished national airline. It is my hope that before I leave office, we will have it back in the air,” he said.
He further highlighted the need for a strengthened collaboration between Ghanaian institutions and the Russian University of Transport in transport engineering, railway development, logistics, road safety, and technology application to transport management.
“I am happy to hear that the Russian University of Transport has links with Ghanaian science and technology institutions and technical universities,” he said, expressing hope that his visit would encourage more Ghanaian students to study at the University, noting that currently only one Ghanaian student is enrolled there.
The President also shared the relationship between Ghana and Russian education, with plethora of beneficiaries from the collaboration, including himself, who once studied in Moscow.
“Generations of Ghanaians have benefited from studying in Russia, including myself,” he said.
Prior to the ceremony, the President held an open dialogue with students on industrialisation, energy security and Ghana-Russia cooperation, where he shared his vision of transforming the economic gains into real benefit for the people.
“My dream is to translate the macroeconomic success into jobs and opportunities for the young people,” he said.
On energy, he said Ghana is exploring alternative sources, including nuclear energy, to power its industrialisation agenda, with the intention to tap into Russia’s expertise in the area.
“We are looking at alternative energy sources. That is why we are looking at nuclear, adding nuclear energy to the mix. I know that Russia has advanced technology in some of these things,” he said.
It’s my hope that before I leave office, we’ll have Ghana Airways back in the air – Mahama
