NPP UK 'falls' for Bawumia after rousing address in London

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was the toast of the NPP faithful in London at the party's International Women's Conference, held over the weekend.

Dr Bawumia was the Special Guest, who delivered the keynote address, and characteristically, he delivered a rousing speech which kept the audience, largely members of the NPP in the United Kingdom, excited throughout.

With the country's economy suffering from the twin global factors of Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, and the opposition NDC taking advantage of the situation to downplay the government’s record, Vice President Bawumia themed his address in defence of the party, presenting achievements he called "the monumental achievements" of the Akufo-Addo government.

In a typical Dr Bawumia fashion, he listed projects, initiatives, policies and success under every sector of the government, including the economy, and he highlighted how all indicators were on the upward curve prior to the global economic recession three years ago.

Dr Bawumia started his address by going down memory lane to remind all of the situation of the country in 2016 and the numerous challenges and problems the Akufo-Addo government inherited after the Mahama-led NDC was booted out of office.

In a tall list of inherited problems, which he said, the NPP Government has either fixed or improved, Dr Bawumia reminded all how there were: "high unemployment, dumsor for 4 years, a virtually collapsed national health insurance system, a nearly collapsed national ambulance system, freeze on public sector employment, an almost collapsed banking sector, massive annual increases in utility bills, poor economic indicators, low agricultural growth, low industry growth, cancellation of teacher and nursing training allowances, as well as a huge burden of paying $1billion dollars annually for a take-or-pay excess energy capacity deal negotiated by the NDC."

After this, Dr. Bawumia presented a list of programmes, projects and policies in every sector the NPP Government has implemented to better or address the challenges inherited employment by enumerating several of the government’s achievements in education, health, agriculture, industries, security, energy and digitalisation.

With NPP flagbearership hopeful and former Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen, having publicly indicated the NPP does not have a message going into next year's elections, some NPP faithful might have been downbeat, but Bawumia’s reinvigorating address in London was quick to remind the NPP fraternity not to "let anyone deceive them that we don’t have a message,".

That statement attracted wild cheers, in an emphatic endorsement of the Vice President's message.

But the most thunderous applause of the day was yet to come, after Dr. Bawumia thanked President Akufo-Addo for the privilege of allowing him, as Vice President, to either introduce, implement or spearhead many of the government’s acclaimed policies, including the government's digitisation drive, one constituency one ambulance, special development initiatives, medical drone delivery, Bank of Ghana's gold purchase policy, gold for oil policy, Agenda 111 initiative, among other.

As Dr. Bawumia presented a tall list of policies he has directly been involved as Vice President, thanks to the President, the audience sparked into wild cheers, with a rendition of the popular triumphant twi song "Onyame bohye no aba mu awie," which means "God's promise has already come true," indicating their support and the Dr. Bawumia's ordained victory in the upcoming Presidential race.