Ghana’s Vice-President, Mahamudu Bawumia, has selected the current energy minister as his running mate for the presidential election slated for December. This decision comes as the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) prepares for a tough contest, with President Nana Akufo-Addo set to step down in January 2025 after completing the maximum eight-year tenure allowed by the constitution.
It is believed that Bawumia made the strategic decision to select Matthew Opoku Prempeh, a well-known legislator, doctor, and Christian from the populated Asante area, in an attempt to heal racial and religious rifts and win over more voters in Ghana. This strategy is in line with a long-standing custom in Ghanaian politics, where major parties frequently choose vice presidential nominees from a variety of backgrounds in order to appeal to a broad electorate.
Prempeh, 56, has a long history in politics. From 2017 until 2020, he led President Akufo-Addo’s ambitious but divisive project for free senior high school as the minister of education. Critics claim that while he was in charge, the policy was not carried out successfully. Prempeh took over as head of the energy ministry in January 2021, although he has encountered difficulties there, including a rising energy crisis, for which his party had earlier chastised the opposition National Democratic Congress for not finding a solution.
As the NPP’s presidential nominee in November of the previous year, Bawumia, 61, a seasoned economist and former central banker, set the ground for a frontal confrontation with former President John Dramani Mahama, who is considering a political comeback. The less economically developed, predominantly Muslim northern regions of Ghana are the origins of both Bawumia and Mahama, which gives the electoral contest an additional layer of regional tensions.
The Vice-President’s choice of Prempeh is especially noteworthy since it is an effort to revive NPP support in the Asante region, which is a pivotal area for the elections. Given his strong ties and royal lineage in the Asante tribe, Prempeh’s nomination may help calm recent party loyal dissatisfaction over perceived limited prospects.
Meanwhile, Mahama, making his third bid for the presidency, has reaffirmed his partnership with former education minister and literature professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang as his running mate. Opoku-Agyemang, hailing from central Ghana, continues to bring her academic prestige and political experience to Mahama’s campaign, echoing the opposition’s strategy to balance regional and demographic appeals.
