Ghana’s Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has picked Matthew Opoku Prempeh, a lawmaker and Christian from the Asante region, as his running mate. This choice follows a tradition of selecting running mates from different religious and ethnic backgrounds to promote unity and attract a broader voter base.
Bawumia, a 61-year-old economist and former central banker, was declared the NPP’s presidential candidate last November. He will compete against former President John Dramani Mahama, who is making a bid to return to office.
Both Bawumia and Mahama hail from northern Ghana, a predominantly Muslim region with less economic development compared to the southern parts of the country.
Matthew Opoku Prempeh, 56, previously served as education minister from 2017 to 2020, where he implemented President Akufo-Addo’s free senior high school policy, despite facing criticism for its execution. A lawmaker since 2008, Prempeh is also a royal from the Asante tribe.
In January 2021, he was appointed energy minister, tasked with managing an ongoing energy crisis—a challenge the NPP had previously criticized Mahama’s party for mishandling.
Bawumia is the first Muslim to lead a major party in Ghana since 1992 and the first non-Akan to head the NPP. By choosing Prempeh, he aims to bolster the NPP’s support in the Asante region, where there have been concerns about limited opportunities for party members.
Mahama, making his third presidential bid, has retained Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, a former education minister and literature professor from central Ghana, as his running mate.
