ACCRA, Dec 4, 2024 (AFP) - Ghanaian Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia hopes to make history as the first New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate to secure three consecutive terms for his party in Saturday's election.

Standing in his way is a familiar foe, former president John Mahama, who seeks a political comeback after losses in 2016 and 2020.

Bawumia's ruling NPP is aiming at "breaking the eight" -- a reference to two terms of four years each and a rallying cry by the party to win a third consecutive term, which is unprecedented in the country.

Since Ghana transitioned to multi-party democracy in 1992, no party has governed for more than two terms.

The presidency has alternated between the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) every eight years, creating a predictable cycle.

A UK-educated former central bank official, 61-year-old Bawumia has built his reputation as an economist and a leader in digitalisation aimed at transforming Ghana's economy.

Since his appointment as vice president in 2017, he has championed initiatives such as a digital address system, mobile money programmes and the digitisation of land records.

But he has also struggled to distance himself from criticism over the government's handling of the economy, a weakened currency, high living costs and a debt burden that prompted Ghana to take an International Monetary Fund loan.

"Bawumia's focus on digitalisation has improved economic transparency," Daniel Amateye Anim-Prempeh, an economist with Accra's Policy Initiative for Economic Development (PIED), told AFP.

"But he must contend with the real economic pain many Ghanaians feel daily, especially with the cedi's depreciation," he added.
- UK education -

A Muslim born in northern Tamale region, Bawumia went to university in Britain and later studied economics at Oxford and received a PhD in Vancouver.

He was deputy governor of Ghana's central bank and later was the African Development Bank's resident representative in Zimbabwe.
Supporters say those credentials served him well on President Nana Akufo-Addo's economic management teams as Ghana went through a crisis. His campaign touts his experience as an economist as his strong point.

Ghana's recent economic turmoil, marked by a debt default in 2022 and a subsequent $3-billion IMF bailout, has placed financial recovery at the forefront of the election campaign.

Inflation -- which topped 50 percent before slowing -- and a persistent unemployment crisis particularly among young people have strained households.

Bawumia proposes economic stabilisation through measures such as a flat tax, tax amnesty and competitive port charges.

"Bawumia's campaign promises a fresh vision that focuses on job creation and youth empowerment, and he has the expertise to deliver on it," his political advisor Akbar Yussif Khomeini said.

- Northern battleground -
While the northern regions have historically favoured Mahama's NDC, Bawumia's candidacy disrupted the trend as he is widely recognised as one of the NPP's most effective campaigners in the area.

"The battle will be fierce in the north," Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, a political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, said.
"Bawumia's extensive outreach since joining the NPP has resonated with many northern Ghanaians, potentially swinging a traditionally NDC stronghold in his favour."

Bawumia's vision diverges in key ways from the current administration's policies, with promises of a "leanest yet most efficient" government if elected.

He has committed to appointing no more than 50 ministers, a nod to public concerns over government spending.

But critics argue that as vice president, Bawumia shares responsibility for the economic challenges that have developed under Akufo-Addo.
"The electorate must be convinced that Bawumia is his own man, and not merely an extension of Akufo-Addo," Zaato said.