President of the policy think tank IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has urged the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to adopt a more realistic and analytical approach to his campaign promises.

During the NPP’s manifesto launch in Takoradi on August 18, Dr. Bawumia vowed to cut transportation costs by 40% through the introduction of electric vehicles.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue, Mr. Cudjoe critically assessed the feasibility of this pledge, raising doubts about the practicality of such a policy.

He highlighted the lack of necessary infrastructure to support electric vehicles, including concerns about maintenance, accessibility, and the readiness of Ghanaians to transition to this new technology.

Mr. Cudjoe also pointed to Dr. Bawumia’s previous unmet promises, such as providing vehicles for Okada riders, suggesting that a more gradual and realistic approach to policy implementation would be more effective.

He advised Dr. Bawumia to consider a balanced energy strategy that includes traditional energy sources alongside clean energy initiatives.

Additionally, Mr. Cudjoe expressed disappointment that the manifesto failed to address the country’s current economic difficulties, questioning the viability of the proposed private sector partnerships as a solution.

“I don’t doubt the fact that we need to move to the electric vehicle system and all that, but do we have the infrastructure yet? How many people can hop on such buses?

Do we have a proper way of maintaining them? I think those little things, if we don’t do them quite well, that’s what will come back and bite Bawumia quite well.”

“You remember when he promised that Okada people were going to be using cars, we haven’t heard anything on that yet and it’s important that he takes baby steps in some of these things. I think he should rather draw on the traditional source of energy rather than this fixation on clean energy or transition element of our energy space.”

“I would have wished I heard a lot more on how we can get out of the chaos his administration has led us into, but unfortunately I didn’t hear anything like that so it makes me wonder whether the plan they have in place with private sector side, whether they are going to deliver.”