TRENDING: How side chicks are boosting economy

Days after making headlines for offering prayers for Nigeria, Ghana’s president, John Mahama, is back in the news.

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This time around, the president of the West African country has highlighted the economic importance of spouses and sidechicks to his nation’s economy.

In a trending clip, the 14th president of Ghana listed out the different value chains side chicks explore and how they bolster the nation’s economy.

Mr Mahaha, a special guest of honour at the 2026 Kwahu Business Forum, opined that when contractors are paid, they go out and buy exotic cars.

That way, he said, the car dealers also benefit.

Value Chain

Explaining further, President Mahama said that even the spouses, the wives and the side chicks also benefit.

“Because when they are paid, they give their wives and side chicks some of the money. And that’s an important avenue because you know where that one goes.

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“When the spouses and the side chicks get, the hairdressers too get. The dress makers get, jewellery shops get, and handbag sellers get. So don’t discount that one at all,” he said amidst laughter from the attendees.

Prayers for Nigeria

Recently, Mr Mahama said that Nigeria’s trajectory was central not only to Ghana’s well-being but also to the wider region, even as he urged African leaders to rethink development strategies in the face of shifting global dynamics.

Describing both countries as twins of the same mother, the president said many people in Ghana had migrated from Nigeria.

“Of course, Ghana and Nigeria are twins of the same mother, except that we fight over jollof and football. Otherwise, you know that we are the same people. Many people in Ghana migrated from Nigeria.

“Nigeria is a keen security interest to us. If Nigeria does well, Ghana does well. I mean, when you have cousins, 250 million of them, you want them to do well, so that one million of them don’t come drifting towards a small country like Ghana,” he said.

Nigerian ties

It is a well-established fact that the Ghanaian President has ties to Nigeria through his late stepmother, who is from Offa, Kwara State, in the North Central region.

At the 64th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in August 2024, President Mahama, a special guest and keynote speaker, spoke about his ties to Nigeria.

Addressing the gathering, he said, “My stepmother, who raised me, is a Nigerian, and she comes from Offa in Kwara State. At a time when there was a coup in Ghana, my father lived in exile here in Nigeria, and I had to stay with my stepmother in Offa for many years, so I know Offa quite well.

“I consider it my home town here in Nigeria, and the Olofa of Offa granted me a chieftaincy title. So for those of you who don’t know, I’m the Aare Atolase of Offa Kingdom.”