Profile of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana. He chairs the Economic Management Team which is broadly responsible for shaping the government’s policies and guiding their implementation.
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He is at the forefront of a broad, inclusive development strategy in Ghana involving, among others, the leveraging of digitised government services to transform the delivery of public services and digitalising the economy, with an overall objective of building Ghana’s digital economy. His efforts have seen the ongoing infusion of technological innovation in every-day Ghanaian life and the rapid growth of the Fintech industry in the country.
Dr Bawumia holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Buckingham University, UK, a Master of Science Degree in Development Economics from Oxford University, UK and a Ph.D. in Economics from Simon Fraser University, Canada.
He has held academic positions as Assistant Professor of Economics,Baylor University, USA;, Visiting Scholar, -University of British Columbia, Canada; and Visiting Senior Research Associate, Centre for the Study of African Economies, Oxford University, UK. He has also served as Visiting Professor of Economic Governance at Central University, Ghana.
As an Economist and Banker, Dr Bawumia has had a prestigious career which includes serving as the Deputy Governor of Ghana’s Central Bank from 2006 to 2008 and the Resident Representative of the African Development Bank in Zimbabwe in 2011.
He has authored several journal articles and has numerous publications to his credit, including “Monetary Policy and Financial Sector Reform in Africa, Ghana’s Experience”.
Dr. Bawumia has proven to be the most influential Vice-President in Ghana’s history, having championed and led many transformational policies, including, among many others:
• No Guarantor for Student Loans
• Zongo Development Fund
• Sinohydro Road Projects
• Ghana Integrated Aluminum Development Corporation
• Development Authorities – Coastal, Middle Belt and Northern
• Nation Builders Corps (NABCO)
• One Constituency One Ambulance
• One Village One Dam
• Focus on TVET and skills training
• Agenda 111
• Restoration of Teacher and Nursing Training Allowances
• Digitalization
o National Identity Card (Ghanacard)
o Mobile Money Interoperability
o National Digital Property Address System
o Paperless Ports
o The Ghanacard as a travel document to travel to Ghana
o Online Passport Application
o E-Travelcard for government workers
o Integration of Ghanacard with GRA, SSNIT, CAGD, NHIS, Births and Deaths, Police, Immigration and Ghana Health Service databases
o Increase in the proportion of adults with Tax Identification Numbers from 4% to 85%
o Uniform Common Digital Platform for Property Taxation
o Drones for delivery of medical supplies
o Universal QR CODE payment system
o Ghanapay – Bankwide mobile money wallet
o National E-Pharmacy Platform
o E-Ticketing at Football Stadia
o Ghana.Gov Platform for the delivery of Government services
o Motor Insurance Database
o Renewal of NHIS membership on mobile phone
o Purchase of ECG credits by mobile phone
o Free Wifi to 700 senior high schools and 13 public universities
• Bank of Ghana Gold Purchase program
• Initiatives have resulted in Jobs: NIA, Zipline Drones, Digitalization, E-commerce, ZDF, Ambulance service, Development
Authorities, Digital Address System, NABCO, Synohydro roads
Above all, he is humble, respectful, honest, hardworking, innovative, affable, compassionate, loyal, visionary, and a man of integrity, qualities that are often difficult to find in public office.