Ing. Filson Awankua, Founder of the Rapid Response Unit for Bawumia (RRU4DMB) and an aspirant for the Upper East Regional Chairmanship of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has clarified that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia did not chair Ghana’s Economic Management Team (EMT).
Speaking on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show on Monday, January 26, 2026, Awankua addressed journalists’ questions linking the Vice President to the country’s economic challenges.
“It was not chaired by him [Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia]. It was an economic management team chaired by Ofori-Atta,” he said.
When asked, “How is the Finance Minister chairing a team that’s supposed to be his advisors?” Awankua emphasized that the chairmanship lay with former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, not Dr. Bawumia. “That is why, when the economy was not doing well, over 90 NPP MPs called for Ofori-Atta to be removed. Nobody mentioned Dr. Bawumia,” he said.
He added that the EMT functioned primarily as an advisory body to the President and the Finance Ministry, noting that public perceptions have often misrepresented the team’s leadership.
Ing. Awankua further explained that if Dr. Bawumia had been head of the Economic Management Team, MPs would have targeted him instead. “Those MPs called for Ofori-Atta’s removal, not Dr. Bawumia,” he reiterated.
On whether Dr. Bawumia’s selection as running mate was meant to fix the economy, Awankua said the choice of a vice-presidential candidate considers multiple factors, including professional background, geography, and political strategy. “When you pick a running mate, you are not picking him to solve one problem. He is to complement the president’s efforts,” he said.
Awankua described the then economic situation in the country as a “peculiar problem in government” that had nothing to do with Dr. Bawumia, urging the public to distinguish between advisory roles and executive responsibility when assessing accountability for economic outcomes.
Source: A1 Radio | 101.1 Mhz | Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith | Bolgatanga
