Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has been toasted as one of the best economists to come from Ghana and his rise to the high office of the Vice President of the country was largely on the prowess he had shown in finance and economics. A relatively unknown face in the political landscape of Ghana, President Akufo- Addo wasted no time in picking the then second deputy governor of the Bank of Ghana as his running mate for the 2008 general elections seeing the excellent track record Dr. Bawumia had built for himself as an economist.
Dr. Bawumia was born on 7th October 1963 into a prominent political family. His father, Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia, a teacher, lawyer, a politician, and a royal from the Mamprugu ethnic group played a key role in shaping the young Bawumia’s future in politics. Indeed, Alhaji Mumuni was a founding member of the Northern Peoples’ Party which was later merge with the United Party to become the current New Patriotic Party, a party his son is a member of. After his basic education, he proceeded to the Tamale Secondary School in 1975 for his Ordinary and Advanced level certificates. From there, he went to the United Kingdom where he took a course in banking, earning a Chartered Institute of Bankers Diploma (ACIB). He later enrolled at the University of Buckingham and earned a First Class Honours Degree in Economics in 1987.
With a strong appetite for education and a sharp brain to match, Dr. Bawunia furthered his studies for a Master’s degree at Lincoln College, Oxford, and obtained a Master’s degree in Economics before proceeding to the Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to pursue and complete his Ph.D. in Economics at in 1995.
Dr. Bawumia’s career has been nothing but an illustrious one. From lecturing in Monetary Economics and International Finance at the Emile Woolf College of Accountancy in London; through serving as an Assistant Professor of Economics in the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, USA; to serving as an economist at the Research Department of the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, he was building a strong background in the numbers which seems to have become an unwritten requirement to being made a running mate to any presidential candidate in Ghana’s political landscape.
And when in the year 2000 he returned to Ghana, he was fully armed with a load of experience to gain a position at the Bank of Ghana as an economist. At this post, he distinguished himself and in no time, he rose through the ranks to become a Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana in June 2006.
As the Vice President under President Akufo- Addo, he has been tasked with the onerous duty of being the head of the Economic Management team and his knowledge and exploits have come in handy in reshaping and rebuilding the nation’s economy back onto the growth path. Dr. Bawumia has copious amount of economic research works to his name and his distinguished life as an economist has also earned him loads of awards and fellowships including a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (FCIB), a Who Is Who Among America’s Teachers at the Baylor University and the Young Researcher Award also at Baylor University, Texas, USA. Dr. Bawumia is married to Samira Bawumia and the couple have four adorable kids.
Initiatives
The Digital Ghana Agenda, led by the Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia has brought enormous transformation to the country, which include;
- Mobile Money Interoperability
- National Identification System (Ghana Card)
- National Health Insurance App
- Digitisation of the National Lotteries Authority
- Digitsed Procurement Platform for the Public Procurement Authority
- Digitized motor insurance database
- Ghana.Gov (Platform to allow MMDAs to offer digitized services to citizens from a single portal)
- E-Pharmacy and Telehealth Services App
- Electrical Buses official launch
Scholarships and awards
- 2007 — Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (FCIB).
- 2000 — Who Is Who Among America’s Teachers? – Baylor University.
- 1999 — Young Researcher Award: Baylor University, Texas, USA.
- 1995–1999 — President’s Research Fellowship: Ph.D. Simon Fraser University.
- 1991–1995 — 4 Graduate Fellowships: Ph.D. Simon Fraser University, Canada.
- 1986 Sir Alan Peacock Prize. Best Economics Student, Department of Economics, University of Buckingham, United Kingdom.
- June 2019, Dr. Bawumia was adjudged Digital Leader of the Year at the 9th Ghana Information Technology & Telecom Awards (GITTA)
On Friday, 16 June 2023, Bawumia filed his nomination to contest in the NPP Presidential primaries. As part of the presidential primaries, Bawumia picked the tenth position after balloting for the selection of five contest for the final selection of the presidential candidate for the NPP in the 2024 election. Bawumia, on 26 August 2023, won the super delegates congress election by the New Patriotic Party with 68%, beating nine other candidates in the buildup to the party’s national delegates congress to elect their flagbearer.
Bawumia has been elected to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Election 2024 as flagbearer. Bawumia won NPP presidential primary with 61.43% of total valid votes cast which happened on 4 November 2023 at 276 constituencies across the country and the Party Headquarters, Asylum Down, Accra.
On Tuesday, 9 July 2024, Bawumia unveiled Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh as his running mate for the 2024 general elections. The unveiling took place at Jubilee Park in Kumasi. On 8 December 2024, Bawumia conceded defeat to former President John Dramani Mahama in an address to the media at his residence.
Political Transition
- Preceded by: Kwesi Amissah-Arthur (as Vice President of Ghana, 2017)
- In the 2024 Presidential Election, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, representing the New Patriotic Party (NPP), contested but lost to Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as Vice President and First Female Vice President in the History of Ghana.
- Succeeded by: Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang (as Vice President of Ghana, 2025).
Dr. Bawumia’s tenure as Vice President and his subsequent leadership bids underscore his influence on Ghana’s political and economic landscape.
