We came to rescue Ghana in 2016 - What Bawumia said in 2020 interview

Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia's interview in the lead up to the 2020 general elections has been reshared by pro-government Asaase Radio.

Bawumia, who now doubles as official flagbearer for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the 2024 elections spoke on a myriad of issues: from the political opposition through to governance and the economic issues that the country is currently faced with.

On the NDC's claim that it was bidding to rescue Ghana come 2024 through former president John Dramani Mahama, Bawumia suggested that Ghana had already been rescued through the 2016 victory of president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

"This [Ghana] economy had to be rescued by the IMF [International Monetary Fund], they [NDC] had to go for a rescue, that was the real rescue mission, as a price of mismanagement of this economy.

"And so they went for a rescue mission [from the IMF] and they were not even able to stay the course of the IMF programme. They went off track, so, that rescue mission by the IMF didn't quite work because, they were not following the terms of the agreement," the Vice President added.

He said: "the real rescue happened when by the grace of God with the election of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and with that election we came into office and again, all the things that were going wrong, we have tried to right them, we have very much put everything back on course."

"We have brought macro economic stability, we have restored teacher training allowances, nursing training allowances, we have brought in new initiatives like planting for food and jobs, the one district one factory transformation and that is taking place and so we have really rescued this country and this economy from the mismanagement of John Mahama," Dr Bawumia said.

It has been a long time since he granted an interview to local media having stayed off the media during months of campaigning as he traversed the country seeking support of delegates to lead the NPP.

Bawumia's media blackout was active when his competitors, nine of them before August 26 (super delegates conference) and three before the November 4 votes; had been actively engaged the media in selling their candidature.

After the November 4 vote, Dr Bawumia polled 61.47% of total votes cast by nearly 200,000 delegates of the NPP to emerge victor in the party’s flagbearer contest. His closest contender, Ken Agyapong polled some 37.41%.

Watch his full interview below:

SARA

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