Ghana’s Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has chosen current Energy Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh as his running mate for the upcoming December presidential election. President Nana Akufo-Addo, having exhausted his constitutionally limited eight years, will step down in January 2025. While ruling parties often have an edge in Ghana’s presidential races, no party has ever clinched more than two consecutive terms.
Bawumia’s pick of Prempeh, a lawmaker, doctor, and Christian from Ghana’s densely populated Asante region, sticks to the well-worn strategy of selecting running mates from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds. This tactic is aimed at promoting unity and attracting a broader voter base. Bawumia, a seasoned 61-year-old economist and former central banker, secured his position as the NPP’s presidential candidate last November, setting the stage for a showdown with former President John Dramani Mahama, who’s eyeing a comeback.
Mahama and Bawumia hail from the predominantly Muslim northern Ghana, a region that lags economically compared to the southern parts of the country. Prempeh, 56, who previously served as education minister from 2017 to 2020, oversaw President Akufo-Addo’s contentious free senior high school policy, criticized for its flawed execution.
The outspoken politician, a parliamentarian since 2008 and a royal from the Asante tribe, was appointed to lead the energy ministry in January 2021, only to find himself entangled in a renewed energy crisis. Ironically, he and his party had lambasted Mahama’s National Democratic Congress (NDC) for their inability to resolve the same crisis while in power.
Bawumia’s leadership marks a historic first for Ghana: he’s the first Muslim to helm a major party since 1992 and the first non-Akan leader of the NPP. By selecting Prempeh, Bawumia aims to reinvigorate NPP support in the Asante region, where complaints about limited opportunities for loyal party members have stoked dissatisfaction.
On the other side of the political spectrum, Mahama, in his third presidential bid, is sticking with his running mate Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, a former education minister and literature professor from central Ghana. The stage is set for a heated contest as these political heavyweights vie for the presidency in what promises to be a pivotal election for Ghana.
