Dr Bawumia is a Transformational Policy Entrepreneur.
By Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato
Prioritizing STEM/TVET education, Full Autonomization of Sea Ports, Agric Mechanization Centers in all districts, Creation of a Credit Bureau, Rental Assistance for All, Flat Tax Rate, and Training 1,000,000 Youth in IT Skills are part of the Bold Solutions Dr Bawumia is proposing. And that is why is he is a transformative Policy Entrepreneur. According to scholar, John Kindon (1984), policy entrepreneurs are actors who can be inside or outside of government, in elected or appointed positions and who play a crucial role in driving policy innovation by developing new ideas, translating them into formal proposals or bills, and assisting in their implementation. This definition perfectly fits the current role, status and future promises of HE. Dr Bawumia.
Policy entrepreneurs actively promote innovative policy ideas and work to bring about significant changes in the policy landscape. They play a crucial role in discovering unmet needs in current policies, suggesting creative ideas, and taking on the related risks, therefore helping to advance policy reform. That is why its fair to say that Dr Bawumia has been a key part and played key roles in the marauding policy successes of the current NPP government compared to previous ones before them. Since he burst onto the Ghanaian political space, he has proposed a number of transformative policies that have the potential to power this country to greatness. But the true genius of Dr Bawumia arrived when he was sworn in as a Vice President in January 2017. There he proved his worth by becoming one of the most consequential Vice Presidents in Ghana’s history. He personally championed revolutionary policies like Digitalization, the Ghana Card, Mobile Money Interoperability, Drones for medical and other essential deliveries. All these have powered Ghana to be a leader in the use of digitalization to provide services to citizens in Africa and beyond.
Policy entrepreneurs are also people who can compile the required tools and knowledge by creating and organizing coalitions and networks, thereby enabling their projects. They also set agendas by framing policy issues to attract the attention of decision-makers and developing strong arguments to win over them. As leader of the Economic Management Committee in Cabinet since 2017, Dr Bawumia used his position to champion digitalization as an antidote to the archaic and outdated model of service delivery in Ghana. Hence, citizens today can renew their health insurance cards, move money from their bank accounts to their phones and vice versa, make online payments and file taxes online all because of his insightful digitalization policies.
A characteristic of policy entrepreneurs is their willingness to invest their resources—time, energy, reputation, and sometimes money—in the hope of a future return. To bring about policy innovation and transformation, they negotiate political settings, create coalitions, and seek to influence decision-makers. In his new role as the flagbearer of the NPP and in his recent Bold Solutions Tour, he has promised and provided transformational ideas and policies that can power this country to the next level. A rare gem with huge intellectual and political prowess, his bold solutions include simplifying the tax code by providing a flat tax rate, establishment of a credit rating system. Up North, he is proposing to establish Agric Mechanization Centers in every district to provide assistance to farmers all year round. The Veep has thus demonstrated that he understands the nuances of policy making and implementation. That he has the political, economic, financial and networking skills to bring stakeholders together to achieve major policy objectives.