President John Dramani Mahama says he remains unfazed by insults and personal attacks, insisting that his priority is to do what he believes is right for Ghana and Africa. The President made the remarks during an engagement with Ghanaians in New York on Friday, September 25, 2026, where he addressed growing concerns about insults, vilification and personal attacks on social media.
Mr Mahama said his years in Ghanaian politics and public office, including his previous tenure as President, had exposed him to intense criticism and personal attacks. He noted that those experiences had strengthened his resilience and prepared him to withstand attacks directed at him.
“As a leader, I don’t mind being insulted. I have been insulted, I was vilified, and I was voted out of office, so for me, this skin is a crocodile skin. So if you insult me, I don’t mind. You insult me, I don’t mind, and indeed, I am doing what I can for my country and my continent. I am doing what I can for Ghana and Africa,” he said.
Mr Mahama said he would continue to pursue what he considers to be right despite criticism, adding that the broader debate should focus on how society wants to regulate social media platforms such as TikTok. “I will do what is right. I don’t mind the insults, but all of us have to decide what we want to do with TikTok. I can go to Cabinet and say, lay off, let anybody insult anybody, let’s leave it free for all and don’t arrest anybody for anything they say. We can do that, but is that what we want?” he asked.
His comments come amid an ongoing debate over the regulation of TikTok and other new media platforms, particularly the need to balance freedom of expression with concerns over abusive, harmful or potentially unlawful content shared online.
