Claim: Samira Bawumia says she is the youngest Second Lady of the 4th Republic.
Source: Samira Bawumia
Verdict: True
Researched by Nusrat Essah
The former Second Lady of Ghana, Samira Bawumia, shared a farewell message on Facebook on January 6, 2025, expressing appreciation for the support she enjoyed during her tenure which spanned from January 2017 to January 2025.
Samira’s Facebook post read in part; “Thank you, Ghana, for the incredible honour to have served as the 6th and youngest Second Lady of the 4th Republic.”
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Fig 1: Screenshot of Facebook post by Samira Bawumia
This report fact-checks the youngest Second Lady claim by Samira Bawumia.
Fact-Check
Ghana’s Fourth Republic came into force in 1992, marking the return to constitutional democracy after over a decade of military rule. Since then, the country has seen five presidents and six vice presidents before John Dramani Mahama‘s re-election in 2024.
Till January 2025, Ghana has had only men occupying the offices of president and vice president, meaning we have always had First and Second Ladies over the period. The sole exception is with the current Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang who is the first woman to occupy the role. This means for the first time, Ghana will not have a Second Lady.
The table below shows the ages of all Second Ladies at the time of assumption of office of their spouses.
| Second Ladies | Year of Birth | Age as second lady |
| Marian Arkaah (1993–1997) | 1942 | 51 |
| Ernestina Naadu Mills (1997–2001) | 1944 | 53 |
| Ramatu Aliu Mahama (2001–2009) | 1955 | 46 |
| Lordina Mahama (2009–2012) | 1963 | 46 |
| Matilda Amissah-Arthur (2012–2017) | 1954 | 58 |
| Samira Bawumia (2017–2025) | August, 1980 | 36 |
Samira Bawumia, the spouse of former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, was born on August 20, 1980, and was 36 years old when she became Second Lady on January 7, 2017. From our analysis, all her predecessors were above 40 years when they assumed the role.
Verdict
Therefore, her claim is rated true.
