The government is spending $740 million on the “water for all” program, which provides access to potable water. Speaking during the opening of a town water project in Tuna, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia noted that the government’s efforts to provide both rural and urban residents with portable drinking water had been successful in reducing the prevalence of cholera and other diseases linked to poor sanitation.
H.E Dr. Bawumia
“We all know that under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, Goal number 6 is a goal for us to attain clean water sanitation for all. In this regard, the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has had a policy of water for all.
“This water for all policy has resulted in an investment program of about 740 million dollars in terms of investment in water systems in various towns and communities,” he said.
The Vice President stated that due to the significant investments made to supply clean drinking water and increase total access to water to 87%, 96% for urban access, and 74% for rural access, Ghana has not recorded a single incidence of cholera during the last five years. “If you will all avert your mind, Ghana has not had a single case of cholera in the last five years. Not one single case of cholera,” he added.
DNTN, Ukraine – Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a North Tongu member of parliament, is assuming a demeaning reputation for fabricating information in order to grant himself some influence over Ghanaian students studying abroad. However, he was exposed on two crucial instances for flat-out lying to damage the reputation of the NPP administration, which is in power, or to make the flight of Ghanaian students abroad appear uncaring or careless. The newest falsehood from Ablakwa is his “discovery” that Russian military attacked a Ukrainian train carrying Ghanaian students. First, a quick Google search found up no evidence of a Russian force strike on a train in Ukraine, which would have been a significant change from Russia’s claim that it had done so. Also, a follow-up investigation by DNT from our Ukrainian correspondents similarly turned up nothing. You might remember that Ablakwa pretended to hold a news conference at the start of the coronavirus outbreak to declare that Ghanaian students were passing away from the virus in China and that the NPP government was being insensitive by leaving them there. At the time, Ghana’s Embassy in Beijing did an exceptional job of taking care of the students, according to a thorough report that DNT Correspondent Michael Amponsah put in. The account was supported by video footage that showed Ghanaian students relaxingly displaying their well-being. These two events highlight the desperation of people like Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who are always looking for an excuse to criticize the administration. On a related issue, a post has been circulating on social media encouraging Ghanaian students studying in Ukraine to seek assistance from a supposed Dr. Albert Kitcher at a bogus location. Dr. Albert Kitcher has publicly refuted the assertion and requested that no one get in touch with him since he has no connection to any assistance for Ghanaian students.
The Vice President, Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, officially launched the renovated inner-city roadways in Cape Coast, the capital of the Central Regional, on September 26, 2022.
Competent Bawumia
Dr. Bawumia said during the ceremony that in addition to the SinoHydro, the government is working on roads throughout the entire nation. He revealed that some road projects in the Central Region have been finished.
These include 102 km of highways, including the Cape Coast–Twifo Praso road partially rebuilt, the 30 km access route to Kakum Park upgraded, the 20 km Dunkwa–Twifo Praso–Assin Foso road mostly rebuilt, and the 15 km Bawjiase–Agona Swedru road partially rebuilt. Additionally, Dr. Bawumia stated that the Department of Urban Roads (DUR) had finished 30 km of asphalt overlay work with beneficiary communities like as Cape Coast, Agona Swedru, Winneba, and Anomabo. A further 50 km of roads have been re-gravelled by the DUR, and 7.5 km of roads have been rehabilitated.
Additionally, 75 km of highways in the Central Region have been bituminously resurfaced by the Department of Feeder Roads, and six significant bridges have been built.
A total of 22 kilometers of the roads have bitumen surfacing. Bitumen has been laid down on the 12.5-kilometer Nyakrom-Bobikuma road, the 16.5-kilometer Kushea – Abotareye -Akwawusu-Atweneboana route, and the Winneba-Sankor-Ojobi-Akoti road. The Vice President mentioned more steel bridge construction in the Central Region, including a 105-meter-long span bridge on the Suprudu-Ammissano-Mankessim Feeder Road and spans of 25 meters, 20 meters, and 40 meters over the Akora, One, and Okyi rivers, respectively.
The Vice President of Ghana Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia a renounced economist and Digitization advocate has over the years trumpeted the need for African countries to embrace Digitization as a key to leapfrogging the advanced countries.
H.E Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia
The Vice President position on digitization has been mocked by the opposition NDC as they say the Vice President is running from the economy to hide behind digitization. The opposition has downplayed the connection between Digitization and the economy. According to the Vice President there is no way we can get a strong economy without digitization, How could the government increase revenue at the port without digitization (Paperless Port) , how could could ghost names be expunged from the government payroll without digitization, how could the economy grow without a proper addressing system, how could healthcare reach our remote areas without digitization (Drone delivery system), how could we get a strong banking sector without digitization , how could Ghana Revenue Authority increase revenue without digitization etc.
In all these Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia has been recognized by the international communities as the game changer his campaign and work on digitization has won him titles like , DIGITAL MAN , DIGITAL REVOLUTIONIST The GAME CHANGER just to mention a few .
In a recent interview with the STANDARD in Kenya the Vice President has outlined the gains made in Ghana as far as Digitization Champaign is concerned.
As the Vice President of Ghana , you have been at the forefront of spearheading digitization, what has been the effect on the economy?
“In Ghana, we have really focused on pursuing digitization as an economic strategy. When you look at the world, we are now in the fourth industrial revolution globally which is a digital revolution. It is a revolution that is based on data, and systems. If you are an economy in this world and you don’t digitize you are you are going to be left behind. Africa has been left behind for too many of these periods, and I believe that digitization is a key to leapfrogging. We digitalize not for its own sake but to solve problems, formalize and build a more inclusive economy, deal with corruption and to provide services to our people more efficiently from the government side. A lot of people were excluded from the economy so we did digital IDs for our people, so we have unique identities for everybody. Once you have unique identities for everyone you will not have ghost workers on the payroll and also sort the voter registry.
We had an issue with the address system in Ghana, and through digitization, we solved the problem. Every part of the country, land or water, mansion or shark you have a unique digital address that we have rolled out in the country. This has solved a big problem as now deliveries can easily be made through e-commerce, and in the instance you are applying for a job you can easily state your address.
On financial inclusion, we have implemented mobile money interoperability. It is not just operability between the mobile companies, but interoperability between the mobile wallet and a bank account which means that every mobile money account practicably has a bank account. We were the first country in Africa to do so. Today it is very easy for someone to open a bank account in Ghana, you have your national ID card, you get onto your mobile phone and then dial a USSD Code and you chose one of the banks and there you go, you have a bank account. We have integrated all our databases which enables us to get value out of our digitization process. Digitization is the way to go for other African countries and with it, we can leapfrog other advanced countries. Today in Ghana, we are the largest medical drone delivery service in the world. We have drones flying all over the country, today we have 100 flight a delivering medicine.”
In conclusion, I will say it is very clear from the above that, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia is indeed an asset to the country and must be embraced for the future.
The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) can boast of vibrant and dedicated members who have toiled and sacrificed over the years. However, the least has been said about Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. His works over the years are palpable enough to be extolled. From his time at the Bank of Ghana through to international assignments and back home, Dr Bawumia’s impact on the NPP and Ghana at large cannot be shrugged off.
The love and appraisals for Dr Mahamudu Bawumia are no fluke, however, his hard work and dedication have brought him this far. As a son of Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia of blessed memories who was a lawyer and a Regional Minister, just to mention a few, it was very easy to tap into his father’s eminence, however, it wasn’t the case. Dr Bawumia wasn’t going to sit on his behind and mope, hence, every single accolade was fittingly worked for. Dr Bawumia returned to Ghana in 2000 after schooling overseas. The “borga” title as one is called when they touch down was not going to get into their head but rather propelled him to even work more as though he was Isaac and had been promised another woman.
Soon after his arrival, Dr was sent to the Bank of Ghana to help diagnose and heal the sick economy that the Kufuor administration inherited. To those who did not know, Dr Bawumia worked and rose through various ranks at the Bank of Ghana, including helping to design and implement the inflation-targeting framework that continues to guide monetary policy and the workings of the Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of Ghana, at least I’m glad they know now. Fast-forward, Dr Bawumia was chosen by candidate Nana Akufo-Addo as his running mate heading into the 2008 general elections. It is no doubt that the hard work of Dr Bawumia helped increase the NPP’s vote shares in the Northern part of Ghana as compared to previous elections, particularly the 2004 election.
Unfortunately, but for some overconfidence and joy on the part of some leading members of the NPP who had relaxed heading into the run-off election at Tain because they had taken lead but could not amass the required number of votes (50 + 1), the Elephant would have been reinstated due to the relieve the Kufuor administration brought on the economy which cannot be discussed without the Bawumia factor. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia yet again was chosen to be the running mate for the Elephants in the 2012 general elections, although some core members of the party wanted a new face. The Nana-Bawumia combo had just begun.
The Bawumia factor continued as the Party won ten (10) seats in the Northern Region including Yendi, Walewale, Yagaba – Kubore, Bunkpurugu, Bimbilla, Chereponi, Kpandai, Tatale – Sanguli, Tolon and Zabzugu. The Nabdam and Talensi Constituencies in the Upper East Region were also swept away by the NPP. Again, the NPP lost the presidential seat, however, this time, it wasn’t a fair loss. Data analysis being one of his prowess, after collecting and analyzing data, Dr Bawumia together with his team noticed the elections were not fair hence the need to challenge the results. As a man of integrity and peace, Dr Bawumia and his team requested that though the Umbrella had been erroneously unfastened, every member of the Elephant keep calm and not resort to violence nonetheless, the result will be challenged legally. All documents were ready but then again, the one to lead the Lord’s battle which this time round was going to be in the courtroom nearly dwindled the vigour gathered. Dr Bawumia owned up and accepted to be the star witness.
Competent Bawumia
For a young man with no legal background to have that intelligence and valour to appear before high-profiled legal practitioners to present facts came as a surprise which eventually turned into a trend that caught the fancy of almost the entire nation. Perhaps, that was the awakening of the DMB fever. Though the NPP lost by a slim margin (4, 5) in the 2013 court ruling, it was evident the Electoral Commission headed by Dr Afari Gyan had its shortcomings which were exposed, all thanks to Dr Bawumia, the star witness at the time. Such a workaholic and results-oriented patriot are not sidelined when the need to ‘Break the Eight’ for a ‘Greater Ghana for All’ is necessary. I will leave you with this wise saying, short advice is like a mini skirt, it covers only the important parts.
Ghana Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia during an interview with The Standard. [File, Standard]
Amongst the dignitaries who attended President William Ruto’s inauguration on Tuesday, September 13 was Ghana’s Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia. The Standard had a sit down with him after the ceremony and he had this to say.
How was your experience at President William Ruto’s Inauguration?
It was a very successful event not just from my perspective but also from that of Ghana. It is just not a Kenyan success story but an African success story to have a peaceful transition of power. We remember the old days of difficult transitions and since we have embarked on the democratic journey, every step and milestone is important.
How would you rate the diplomatic relations between Kenya and Ghana?
We have very good relations that date back to independence when our first President Kwame Nkrumah and Kenya’s first President Jomo Kenyatta shared good relations. They engaged in the independence struggle against colonialism and got our countries independent with their movement. Subsequently, our relationship has been growing. There is a sizeable Kenyan community in Ghana and because of Kenya Airways, which has a direct flight to Ghana, there are a lot more commercial ties between the two countries.
Africa is in the process of implementing The Africa Free Continental Trade Area (AFCTA). What is your view on its implementation and potential challenges?
People like Kwame Nkrumah were a bit ahead of their time with their vision as they held a view that Africa needed to be cooperative and united which is today being manifested. AFCTA is the biggest free trade area in the world. It is important that Africa trades by itself as we have largely traded with our colonial masters. AFCTA is an idea whose time has come and Ghana is the secretariat hence we are very passionate about it. There are a lot of opportunities and potential to realize.
The bottlenecks to be experienced is logistics and transportation. Another challenge will be payments, but recently I launched the Pan African Payment and Settlement Systems (PAPS) in collaboration with the Central Bank which allows someone from Kenya to buy something in Ghana in Kenya Shillings without the need to worry about a third-party currency like the US dollar to trade. This is a major innovation that will help us bridge the gap that we have in the payment and settlement area.
It is important that we open up the skies. It should be an open sky policy and build up the infrastructure links across the countries. I believe we have the opportunity and the ability to make it happen to realize the dreams that our Nkrumahs and Kenyattas had.
Inflation is an issue grappling many African countries, how is Ghana handling the challenge?
The cost of living across the world has just increased phenomenally, this is coming at the back of the Covid-19 pandemic which disrupted the global supply chain and increased shipping costs almost tenfold. When we thought we were recovering, we had the Russia and Ukraine war that caused an increase in energy costs and as a result, food prices skyrocketed. It has affected every country and Ghana has been no exception.
We are trying to deal with the issue in this context of very squeezed and tight budgets. On the monetary side, the Central Bank is trying to contain inflation with their monetary policy through a number of interest rate increases to try to contain the situation. The Government still continues to offer free senior secondary school education to our citizens which lessens the burden on families in terms of cost of living.
Ultimately, we deal with this crisis by expanding the cost of production, if it’s a food crisis then you deal with food production. The energy side is a bit difficult since we are net importers of oil and have to be at the dictate of the international markets. We hope sooner or later the Ukraine crisis will albeit bring down the energy crisis but the government is always looking at ways to deal with this.
While at the Central Bank you once reduced inflation from 40 per cent to around 10 per cent, how did you deal with this?
To reduce inflation, you need a good mix of fiscal policy and monetary policy. Inflation is fundamentally a monetary phenomenon and it’s the fiscal that can drive the monetary side of it. If you can work to make sure that your balances on the fiscal side are not excessive, and your balances are not excessive so that you may have to enrol in monetary financing of that deficit then it reduces pressure on prices then you are able to contain inflation. We implemented an inflation target framework, one of the few African countries at the time, and it has proven very successful but that alone is not sufficient as you also have to look at the output side by increasing production.
Ghana Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia during a sit down with The Standard. [File, Standard]
You are a renowned global economist and have headed Ghana’s Central Bank. President Ruto ran his election on the promise of a bottom-up economic model, what’s your take on it?
The Bottom-up economic model is a model of inclusiveness which is fundamentally a good model. What we have seen in Africa since independence is that we have had development without inclusion. What we have seen is that 60 years after independence many people do not have a bank account, access to electricity, so many mothers die giving birth because they do not have access, and so on. So many people are excluded from the economic system, so if you are trying to transform an economy you cannot transform an economy on exclusion because a substantial population are amongst those excluded. The idea that President Ruto has of the bottom-up model is a good one, and I think is one that many other African countries should emulate if they are not doing so.
As the Vice President of Ghana, you have been at the forefront of spearheading digitization, what has its effect been on the economy?
In Ghana, we have really focused on pursuing digitization as an economic strategy. When you look at the world, we are now in the fourth industrial revolution globally which is a digital revolution. It is a revolution that is based on data, and systems. If you are an economy in this world and you don’t digitize you are going to be left behind. Africa has been left behind for too many of these periods, and I believe that digitization is a key to leapfrogging. We digitalize not for its own sake but to solve problems, formalize and build a more inclusive economy, deal with corruption and to provide services to our people more efficiently from the government side. A lot of people were excluded from the economy so we did digital IDs for our people, so we have unique identities for everybody. Once you have unique identities for everyone you will not have ghost workers on the payroll and also sort the voter registry.
We had an issue with the address system in Ghana, and through digitization, we solved the problem. Every part of the country, land or water, mansion or shark you have a unique digital address that we have rolled out in the country. This has solved a big problem as now deliveries can easily be made through e-commerce, and in the instance you are applying for a job you can easily state your address.
On financial inclusion, we have implemented mobile money interoperability. It is not just operability between the mobile companies, but interoperability between the mobile wallet and a bank account which means that every mobile money account practicably has a bank account. We were the first country in Africa to do so. Today it is very easy for someone to open a bank account in Ghana, you have your national ID card, you get onto your mobile phone and then dial a USSD Code and you chose one of the banks and there you go, you have a bank account. We have integrated all our databases which enables us to get value out of our digitization process. Digitization is the way to go for other African countries and with it, we can leapfrog other advanced countries. Today in Ghana, we are the largest medical drone delivery service in the world. We have drones flying all over the country, today we have 100 flights a day delivering medicine.
You have been fronted as a front runner in Ghana’s next election in 2024, what is your take on it?
Right now I am focused on helping my boss President Nana Akufo-Addo fulfill his vision and delivery of his agenda. We have no time to think about that right now until we get to 2024.
What is your message to President Ruto?
I congratulate him on his victory and inauguration. I want to wish him very well, this is a major task and a major burden but God will see him through. He is a very smart man, he has been a deputy president for a while and he knows what to do. We are praying for him and wishing him the very best and we are looking forward to what he does for Kenya.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the vice president, is in Nairobi, Kenya to represent Ghana at the oath-taking ceremony for William Samoei Arap Ruto, the incoming president of Kenya.
Kenya’s Deputy President, William Ruto, delivers a speech during the memorial service for former Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on April 29, 2022. (Photo by TONY KARUMBA / AFP) (Photo by TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)
William Ruto will be sworn in on September 13, 2022, at Moi International Sports Complex, Kasarani in Nairobi William Ruto won the election for president after polling 50.5% against Raila Odinga’s 48.8%. He will be the country’s fifth president when sworn in on Tuesday. Vice President Bawumia will be accompanied by the 2nd Lady, Samira Bawumia, Thomas Mbomba, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, and other Senior government officials.
Competent Bawumia
He is anticipated to return to Accra on September 14th. Over 20 heads of state and 2,500 VIPs have confirmed their attendance at William Ruto, president-electswearing-in ,’s ceremony, according to Kenyan officials.
Kristalina Georgiva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, has denied claims that Ghana’s economic troubles were self-inflicted rather than caused by the Russian/Ukraine war and Covid-19. According to her, the country’s economic problems are not the result of terrible government policy.
Managing Director of IMF and President Akufo-Addo
She reaffirmed her organization’s commitment to striking an economic accord with the government before the end of the year. Madam Georgiva told Joy News’ Benjamin Akakpo during the Africa Adaptation Summit in Rotterdam, Holland, that Ghana will receive IMF assistance. “I’m very determined for us to indeed reach an agreement with Ghana by the end of this year [2022]. We started very constructive discussions already. And to the people of Ghana, like everybody on this planet you have been hurt by exogenous shocks; first the pandemic, then Russian/Ukraine war”.
“And that we need to realise that it’s not because of bad policies in the country, but because of these combinations of shocks. Therefore, we have to support Ghana because you are a member, you are a strong country, and you have fantastic people”. She emphasized how smoothly the conversations between Ghana and the Fund had been going.
“We have to support Ghana because your strength contributes to the strength of your neighbors, it contributes to a stronger world”. Upon being asked if Ghana would receive the $3 billion that the government has requested, Madam Georgiva responded, “Let’s go to the negotiations, and then you will know.”
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has proclaimed that the government has put to bare hundreds of ghost names in public sector payrolls. This includes duplicates, which has contributed to the waning economic outlook of the country.
This positive development forms part of the Vice President, Dr. Bawumia’s vision and efforts to reduce corruption by blocking the loopholes in the public sector including all corrupt related activities. According to government, the mechanisms being rolled out is an attempt to cut back on wastage and corruption. Sanitising the public payroll, digitalisation, and enhancing value for money in public expenditure.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
In the first phase of these clean-up exercises by the controller and Accountant-General’s Department and National Identification Authority (NIA), After conducting a biometric audit of the government’s Payroll, 148,000 (24.6%) out of 602,000 workers have Identifications that do not match any biometric identification of NIA. Again, 533 workers have multiple identities, example, some people have three different employee numbers. Could this be a reason why are some persons, especially NDC elements do not want to register for the Ghana card, let alone link it with their SIM cards? A lot of ghost workers on the government’s payroll playing hide and seek games.
The names, according to Dr. Bawumia, have more than one Controller and Accountant-General’s Department account with different employee numbers.
The Ghana Tourism Authority under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Birthright AFRICA Incorporated today. The organization inspires youth and young adults of African descent between the ages of 13-30 to explore their cultural roots through travel.
They also encourage learning ones history in the United States, before they take the journey abroad. Since 2015, Birthright AFRICA has been focused on creating the next generation to become leaders who are proud of their African heritage. They aim to teach young people to stay connected to their African roots while understanding that they have the power to pursue their aspirations and become more innovative while learning about Africa.
Akwasi Agyeman, CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority said he was very excited about the signing of this MOU. “Since the Year of Return, we’ve seen a lot of our own come back to the continent. Ghana has become a mainstay for that reconnection home.” he said. “So having this partnership with Walla and the team at Birthright AFRICA project, I think is very symbolic. Because the ethos of what you are doing sits with what the whole Beyond the Return conversation is.” He continued saying that the Year of Return was for the diaspora to come and visit, see the continent and see Ghana and now with Beyond the Return it’s more about reconnection, investment, diaspora pathways and doing things together.
“Tourism is about travel and travel precedes trade and trade increases the commerce of a people,” said Jidenna, who is on Birthright AFRICA’s Executive Board. “What we’re really doing here is creating, and fostering power. That’s what this is all about. It’s not merely heritage, it’s not merely connections, it’s not merely ‘chillin’ on Labadi Beach’ and hanging out in the sand. It’s power. What is power but the flow of energy between two points? If that is power, then that is what Birthright Africa is doing right now.
Jidenna
The Ghana Tourism Authority under the Ministry of Tourism , Arts and Culture is signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Birthright Africa Incorporated who has been having Collaborations since 2019 inspiring the youth and young adults of African descent ages 13 to 30 to explore their cultural route and legacy of innovation within the United States of America and select nations in Africa as a Birthright.
