Founder of policy think tank IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has offered a rather sobering birthday message to Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, in what many would consider an ironic twist
Cudjoe, never one to mince words, offered birthday wishes with a side of stark economic truth to the Vice President who was once hailed as the economic whiz kid of Ghanaian politics,
“Happy birthday, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. You are gifted,” Cudjoe began, in what could be mistaken as a complimentary start. But it quickly turned into a masterclass in how to lace praise with critique.
Franklin Cudjoe acknowledged Bawumia’s role in shifting Ghanaian political discourse towards policy-driven, fact-based debates, particularly during the 2016 elections when his famous line—“If the fundamentals are weak, the exchange rate will expose you”—became a rallying cry for the opposition.
Fast forward to today, however, and the once “sound economic quotes” seem more like ghostly echoes of a bygone era.
Back in 2016, the Ghana cedi was trading at $1 to 4 cedis. Today, on Bawumia’s 2024 birthday, the cedi is wobbling at a dizzying $1 = 17 cedis.
Franklin Cudjoe quipped that he considered ordering a cake for the Vice President, but Ghana’s sky-high taxes, introduced under Bawumia’s economic watch, dampened his enthusiasm. It seems even cake is a luxury in this new economic reality.
But it wasn’t just a nostalgic trip down memory lane that the IMANI boss offered. He had two pointed wishes for his “dear friend.”
First, he urged Bawumia to confront the economic truths he championed during his days in opposition.
He suggested that the Vice President revisit his quotable moments from 2014 to 2016 and reconcile them with today’s troubling economic landscape—complete with debt exchanges, financial haircuts, and inflation levels that seem determined to set new records.
In other words, Franklin Cudjoe subtly called on Bawumia to face his own slogans head-on.
Second, and perhaps more damning, Cudjoe aimed at the government’s feeble handling of the galamsey (illegal mining) crisis. With characteristic candour, he urged Bawumia to break his silence and present a concrete plan to tackle the environmental and social disaster that illegal mining has become.
Bawumia’s boss, President Nana Akufo-Addo, has long promised to fight galamsey, but the issue has only worsened, dragging down the government’s reputation in the process.
In his view, the galamsey debacle represents a crucial election hurdle for Bawumia. If he hopes to win over voters in 2024, he must distance himself from Akufo-Addo’s “lacklustre, gaslighting, and disrespectful treatment” of the issue and present himself as the leader with the grit to solve the problem.
So, while Dr. Bawumia may be blowing out birthday candles today, Franklin Cudjoe’s message serves as a reminder that, for the Vice President, the real work is far from over. With a faltering cedi, rampant illegal mining, and an election campaign that seems to be on shaky ground, Bawumia’s future could depend on whether he’s willing to own up to the economic ideals that once propelled him to the forefront of Ghanaian politics—or whether he’ll find himself exposed, just like the fundamentals he once warned about.
Happy birthday, indeed.
