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Mahamudu Bawumia
Mahamudu Bawumia.jpg
Bawumia in 2017
7th Vice President of Ghana
In office
7 January 2017 – 7 January 2025
President Nana Akufo-Addo
Preceded by Kwesi Amissah-Arthur
Succeeded by Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang
Personal details
Born (1963-10-07) 7 October 1963 (age 61)
Tamale, Northern Region, Ghana
Political party New Patriotic
Spouse Samira Ramadan
Relations Mumuni Bawumia (father)
Mariama Bawumia (mother)
Children 4
Alma mater Buckingham University
Lincoln College, Oxford
Simon Fraser University
Occupation Economist, Politician

Mahamudu Bawumia (born 7 October 1963) is a Ghanaian politician and a skilled economist. He served as the seventh Vice President of Ghana from January 7, 2017, to January 7, 2025. He worked alongside President Nana Akufo-Addo. In the 2024 general election, he was the main candidate for president from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Before becoming Vice President, he was a central banker. He also ran as the NPP's Vice-Presidential candidate in the 2012 elections. He was a key witness in a court case that questioned the results of the 2012 election. He has a PhD in economics from Simon Fraser University.

Early Life and School

Mahamudu Bawumia was born in Tamale, Ghana. His parents were Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia and Hajia Mariama Bawumia. He is a member of the Mamprusi people. He was the twelfth of his father's 18 children.

He went to Sakasaka primary school in Tamale. In 1975, he started at Tamale Secondary School. After high school, he moved to the United Kingdom. There, he studied banking and earned a special diploma called the Chartered Institute of Bankers Diploma (ACIB). In 1981, he was the president of the Ghana United Nations Students’ Association (GUNSA). He earned a First Class Honours Degree in economics from Buckingham University in 1987.

Later, he got a master's degree in economics from Lincoln College, Oxford. He then earned his PhD in economics in 1995 from Simon Fraser University in Canada. He specialized in topics like how economies work on a large scale (macroeconomics) and how money moves between countries (international economics). He also studied how countries grow (development economics) and how governments control money (monetary policy).

His Career Journey

Working as a Lecturer and Intern

From 1988 to 1990, Bawumia taught about money and international finance at the Emile Woolf College of Accountancy in London. He also worked as an intern at the Research Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, D.C.. Later, he was a representative for the African Development Bank in Zimbabwe.

Between 1996 and 2000, Bawumia was an assistant professor of economics at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, USA. He received an award for young researchers in 1998. He was also listed among "Who Is Who Among America's Teachers” in 1999.

Role at the Bank of Ghana

In 2000, Bawumia returned to Ghana to work as an economist at the Bank of Ghana. He quickly moved up, becoming a senior economist and then a department head. He also served as a special assistant to the bank's governor. In June 2006, President John Kufuor appointed him as the deputy governor of the Bank of Ghana.

While at the Bank of Ghana, Mahamudu Bawumia helped with many important projects:

  • He led the team that created a plan to control inflation, which is when prices go up. This plan helped reduce inflation from over 40% in 2000 to 10.2% by 2007.
  • He helped open up the banking sector to more competition. This made it easier for businesses to get loans.
  • He was part of the team that worked with the World Bank and IMF to help Ghana reduce its debt. Ghana successfully reduced its debt by almost $4 billion.
  • He helped Ghana get a special grant from the US government called the Millennium Challenge Account Compact. This led to big projects like the George Bush Highway.
  • He was involved in making it easier for Ghana to get oil and gas.
  • He helped Ghana get a large loan of $750 million from international markets.
  • He was part of the team that changed Ghana's currency, the cedi, to make it stronger. This also saved money on printing costs.
  • He helped create the e-zwich system, which allows different banks to work together for payments.
  • As deputy governor, he made sure the banking sector was strong and stable.
  • He served on the boards of several important organizations, including the Bank of Ghana and Ghana Telecom.

After the 2008 election, Bawumia left his position as deputy governor at the Bank of Ghana.

Political Journey and Elections

2008 Elections

Mahamudu Bawumia was chosen as the running mate for Nana Akufo-Addo, the candidate for the New Patriotic Party, in the 2008 elections. The NPP gained more votes in the northern parts of Ghana compared to 2004.

Working as a Consultant

Between 2009 and 2011, Bawumia worked as a consultant for different organizations. He advised the Economic Commission of Africa and was a visiting scholar at the University of British Columbia. He also became a Fellow of the International Growth Centre (IGC), which advises governments in developing countries on economic growth. He specifically helped Sierra Leone with its central bank and money policies.

In January 2011, he became the resident representative for the African Development Bank in Zimbabwe. He held this role until he was again chosen as Nana Akufo-Addo's running mate for the 2012 presidential election in Ghana.

2012 Elections

Bawumia was again nominated as the Vice-Presidential Candidate for Nana Akufo-Addo in March 2012. Even though the party won more seats in some regions, Nana Akufo-Addo and Bawumia lost the presidential elections to John Dramani Mahama.

2016 Elections

Nana Akuffo-Addo once again chose Bawumia as his running mate for the 2016 presidential election.

2024 Elections

On June 16, 2023, Bawumia officially put his name forward to run in the NPP Presidential primaries. He won the first round of voting on August 26, 2023, with 68% of the votes. This meant he would be one of the top candidates for the party's final selection.

On November 4, 2023, Bawumia was chosen to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the 2024 election. He won the NPP presidential primary with 61.43% of the total votes.

On July 9, 2024, Bawumia announced that Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh would be his running mate for the 2024 general elections. The announcement happened in Kumasi.

On December 8, 2024, Bawumia accepted that he had lost the election to former President John Mahama. He made this announcement from his home.

Personal Life

Bawumia is married to Samira Bawumia, and they have four children. He is a Muslim. His name, Bawumia, means "They have heard" in the Dagbanli and Gmampruli languages. He was named after Yaa Naa Mahamadu Bila, a king of Dagbon who ruled from 1948 to 1953.

Helping Others (Philanthropy)

Dr. Bawumia is known for his charitable work. In October 2020, he opened a modern mosque in Prang that he had fully paid for. Earlier that year, in June, he paid off almost 60 years of land lease debt for the Kumasi Central Mosque.

In September 2021, Bawumia promised to give GHS 1500 each month to Psalm Adjeteyfio to help with his rent and living costs. In May 2022, Dr. Bawumia gave GHs 20,000.00 to a taxi driver who returned GHs 8,400.00 that a passenger had left behind. He has also celebrated his birthdays with people living at the Weija Leprosarium and with orphans at the Kumasi Children's Home.

Key Initiatives

As Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia led the Digital Ghana Agenda. This plan brought many changes to the country, including:

  • Mobile Money Interoperability: Making it easier for people to send money between different mobile money services.
  • National Identification System (Ghana Card): Creating a national ID card for everyone.
  • National Health Insurance App: A mobile app for health insurance services.
  • Digitization of the National Lotteries Authority: Making lottery services digital.
  • Digitized Procurement Platform: A digital system for government purchases.
  • Digitized Motor Insurance Database: A digital record of car insurance.
  • Ghana.Gov: A website where people can find many government services in one place.
  • E-Pharmacy and Telehealth Services App: Apps for online pharmacies and doctor consultations.
  • Electrical Buses Official Launch: Introducing electric buses.

Awards and Scholarships

  • 2007 — Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (FCIB).
  • 2000 — Listed in "Who Is Who Among America's Teachers?"
  • 1999 — Young Researcher Award from Baylor University.
  • 1995–1999 — President's Research Fellowship for his PhD studies.
  • 1991–1995 — Four Graduate Fellowships for his PhD studies.
  • 1986 — Sir Alan Peacock Prize for being the best economics student at Buckingham University.
  • June 2019 — Named Digital Leader of the Year at the 9th Ghana Information Technology & Telecom Awards (GITTA).
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