If wishes were currency, mine for 2025 would be simple but deliberate: I would choose to meet Julius Debrah, Ghana’s Chief of Staff, over meeting President John Dramani Mahama himself. This is not an attempt to downplay the authority of the presidency, nor is it driven by political sentiment. It is a journalist’s calculated choice one rooted in observation, experience, and long-standing admiration.
My fondness for Julius Debrah did not begin today.
It dates back to President John Dramani Mahama’s first term, when Debrah previously served as Chief of Staff. Even then, his influence was unmistakable. While many focused on the president’s speeches and public appearances, I was drawn to the man who quietly ensured that government actually worked. Julius Debrah was not loud, flashy, or constantly in the headlines but his presence was felt everywhere power moved.
As a freelance journalist, I have learned that leadership is not always found at the podium. Sometimes, real authority sits behind a desk, inside meeting rooms, and within the systems that keep a nation running. The Chief of Staff’s office is the nerve center of the presidency, and Julius Debrah has mastered that space with precision, discipline, and calm confidence.
Meeting the president is ceremonial. Meeting the Chief of Staff is strategic.
In the presence of Julius Debrah, one is not merely meeting a government official; one is standing face-to-face with the operational brain of the presidency. He controls access, coordinates ministries, aligns political vision with administrative reality, and ensures that promises do not remain empty words.
To sit across from him is, in many ways, to sit eye to eye with Ghana’s number one power structure. What makes Julius Debrah particularly compelling is his consistency. From Mahama’s first term to today, his leadership style has remained firm: no unnecessary noise, no appetite for public praise, just results. In a political culture where visibility is often mistaken for effectiveness, Debrah represents the opposite a reminder that true power does not always announce itself.
For a journalist, this kind of figure is gold. Conversations with presidents inspire; conversations with Chiefs of Staff educate. Julius Debrah understands the inner workings of government at a depth few others do. He sees policies before they are announced and problems before they reach the public. That insight is priceless to anyone seeking to understand governance beyond press releases.
My wish to meet him in 2025 is therefore not personal fantasy it is professional intent. I want to understand leadership from the inside, to hear from a man who has helped shape the direction of Ghana without demanding applause. In an era where political noise is deafening, Julius Debrah’s quiet authority stands out even more.
President Mahama is the face of leadership. Julius Debrah is its backbone.
If given the opportunity to choose one encounter that would leave a lasting impression on my career as a freelance journalist, I would choose the man who makes power work, not just the man who represents it. Because sometimes, meeting the Chief of Staff is not just a meeting it is a direct encounter with the state itself.
And that is a meeting worth wishing for.
Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical Science communicator.
Private Investigator and Criminal
Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,
International Conflict Management and Peace Building. Alumni Gandhi Global Academy United States Institute of Peace.
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+233-555-275-880
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