Bawumia did not abandon economic issues; digitalisation focus was a calculated move — Napo

Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the 2024 New Patriotic Party (NPP) vice-presidential candidate, has rejected suggestions that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia distanced himself from economic management in the later years of the Akufo-Addo government.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme, Dr. Opoku Prempeh explained that Dr. Bawumia played a central role in economic policy during the administration’s first term, but intentionally redirected his efforts toward digital transformation in the second term as a strategic way of strengthening the economy.

He stressed that the Vice President did not withdraw from responsibility but rather adjusted his focus in response to changing circumstances where economic oversight may no longer have been directly under his control.

According to him, Ghana’s economy performed relatively well even during the COVID-19 period, raising questions about claims that Dr. Bawumia was responsible for later economic difficulties.

Dr. Opoku Prempeh also referred to the moment when 88 NPP Members of Parliament openly criticised the state of the economy and called for the removal of certain government officials.

He noted that although Dr. Bawumia was present at the time, the MPs named someone else as responsible — not the Vice President.

“If Bawumia was truly in charge of the economy, why was his name absent from their demands?” he questioned.

While he said he did not object to the MPs’ public stance, he added that he would have supported the removal of the official mentioned had the issue been decided privately.

Dr. Opoku Prempeh concluded that Dr. Bawumia’s reduced public commentary on economic matters in the final four years was not a sign of avoidance, but a strategic shift toward digitalisation as another pathway to drive national development.