Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the 2024 running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has rejected suggestions that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia withdrew from economic matters during the latter part of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme, Dr. Opoku Prempeh explained that the Vice President’s evolving role was a strategic response to changing circumstances within government, not an attempt to distance himself from economic responsibility.
He noted that Dr. Bawumia played a central role in economic management during the administration’s first four years, but his increased focus on digitalisation in the second term was intended to support the economy through structural reforms rather than direct fiscal control.
According to him, the shift became more pronounced during the COVID-19 period, when Ghana’s economy was regarded as one of the better-managed systems globally despite unprecedented challenges.
“Even during COVID-19, Ghana’s economy was one of the best managed,” he said, questioning claims that the later economic difficulties could be directly attributed to the Vice President.
Dr. Opoku Prempeh further pointed to the public action taken by 88 NPP Members of Parliament, who raised concerns about the state of the economy and called for the removal of certain government officials. He argued that the MPs’ choice of target spoke volumes about where responsibility was perceived to lie.
“When the 88 MPs complained about the economy and demanded dismissals, Bawumia was present, but they mentioned someone else’s name instead of his,” he said. “If he was the one directly responsible, why wasn’t his name mentioned?”
He clarified that while he did not oppose the MPs’ decision to go public, he would have supported the dismissal of the named official if the matter had been subjected to a private vote.
In concluding his remarks, Dr. Opoku Prempeh stressed that Dr. Bawumia’s pivot to digitalisation should be viewed as an alternative pathway to economic support rather than an evasion of duty.
“Bawumia spoke extensively about the economy in the first four years. In the last four years, he focused mainly on digitalisation,” he said. “It was not about avoiding responsibility; perhaps economic management was no longer within his direct control, so he explored other avenues to drive economic growth.”
