Matthew Agambire, the designer behind President John Mahama’s ‘agbada’ which he wore to his Inauguration on January 7, 2025, has revealed the President was involved in the creative process.
In an interview on JoyNews, Matthew who owns the Bondaana fashion brand disclosed the inspiration behind the design.
“President Mahama is someone who believes so much in Ghana and he wanted something of Ghana, from Ghana and by Ghana. When I approached him about designing the outfit, I gave him a few ideas as to what I wanted to do. And in fact, he is actually a very key person in co-creating the brand. So he said he would need something that represents Ghana and he needed a Ghanaian to do it. So that was actually the brain behind the outfit,” he said.
Asked whose decision it was to incorporate the Adinkra symbols into the design, Matthew said “I had been planning and thinking on what to do on his outfit for the past two months. So what happened behind the scenes was that I would usually come up with something and go show it to him, and then he either approves or gives his contributions. So the Adinkra symbols were originally thought by me and shown to him for his approval. So it was teamwork between the two of us.”
About President Mahama’s inauguration ‘agbada’
On January 7, 2025, the man who secured a decisive victory in Ghana’s 2024 election made an equally commanding statement as he arrived at the Black Star Square for his inauguration.
President John Mahama, 66, took the Oath of Office and raised the glittering State Sword, a powerful symbol of authority, to a thunderous applause from the jubilant crowd.
However, it wasn’t just the ceremonial sword that captured the attention of Ghanaians at the venue and online on the sunny mid-morning.
He wore a white ‘Agbada,’ an outfit consisting of an inner garment of varying lengths and a pair of traditional trousers.
Mr Mahama’s unique twist featured two long kente embroideries flanking the three-piece attire.
The long kente design on the cloth matched the pattern of his hat.
The Kente design is named ‘Ɛmmerɛ Pa Da W’anim,’ which translates to Better Days Lie Ahead.
Noticeable at the centre of the attire were four Adinkra symbols.
They are, ‘Gye Nyame’, ‘Sankofa’, ‘Dwennimmen’ and ‘Nyame Dua’.