Researched by Gifty Tracy Aminu
On October 3, 2026, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) held a National Delegates Conference in Kumasi, the Ashanti Region, to elect new national executives. The party’s flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in his address criticised the government for failing to deliver on specific campaign promises.
According to the former Vice President, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration led by John Dramani Mahama has ‘scammed’ cocoa farmers, teachers, nurses and Menzgold victims because of unfulfilled promises. the NDC made during the 2024 general elections.
“The promise to cocoa farmers to increase the cocoa price to GH₵6,500 has turned out to be a scam. The promise of automatic posting of teachers and nurses and the improvement in their conditions of service has turned out to be another scam. The promise to cancel teacher licensure examinations has proven to be another scam just as the promise to pay all Menzgold customers and customers of all financial institutions which collapsed,” he said.
This article verifies four claims by Dr Bawumia.
Claim 1
“The promise to cocoa farmers to increase the cocoa price to 6,500 cedis has turned out to be a scam.”
Did the NDC government promise to increase the cocoa price to GH₵6,500?
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Fact-Check
The 2024 RESETTING GHANA manifesto of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) made no mention of a specific amount per 64kg bag to be paid to cocoa farmers.
However, during the 2024 election campaign, the Minister of Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, then the Minority Leader, argued that the government was shortchanging farmers on the price per bag at the time. In many instances, he maintained that instead of the GH₵3,000 the government announced, farmers deserved to be paid between GH₵6,000 and GH₵6,500.
During a campaign stop in the Abura Asebu-Kwamankese Constituency, Ato Forson mentioned that cocoa farmers deserved to be paid GH₵6,500. He explained that with a global market price equivalent to 9,800 Ghana cedis per bag, the government had to give farmers two-thirds of the price and keep a third.
“So if you were supposed to get 65 million, and you’re given 30 million, … it means your 35 million per bag has been taken by the government, President Akufo-Addo, his brother Bawumia, and the NPP government,” he said.
During his vetting, Ato Forson said he stood by his view that government must always keep a third of the global cocoa bag price and give two-thirds to the farmer.
“Mr Chairman, the GH₵6000 per bag should have been paid in the last crop year… And I believe the cocoa farmer deserves a fair price … I said it on the floor (of Parliament), and I backed it with the world market price in cedis at the time and still maintain that the cocoa farmer deserves GH₵6100. I’ve not run away from that position.”
GhanaFact understands that the conversation stemmed from the Finance Minister’s utterances in a specific world market pricing window.
Verdict
Therefore, the claim that NDC promised to pay the cocoa farmer GH₵6,500 is misleading.
Claim 2
“The promise of automatic posting of teachers and nurses and the improvement in their conditions of service…”
Did the government make this promise?
Fact-Check
In a Facebook post on September 19, 2024, then-candidate John Mahama while addressing students at the Ntotronso Nursing and Midwifery College said: “These policies, such as restoring the automatic employment of nursing graduates, introducing free academic fees for first-year public university students, including nursing trainees and starting degree and specialist nursing programmes in nursing colleges, are designed to bring about positive changes in the nursing and midwifery sector, offering hope and optimism for the future.”
On Page 99 of the NDC’s 2024 manifesto, GhanaFact found the NDC promised automatic employment for newly qualified teachers.
A 21-second UTV video shared on multiple platforms captured candidate Mahama saying, “We shall reintroduce the automatic posting of teachers. And we shall scrap the teacher licensure exams.”
GhanaFact’s checks show that the promise has yet to be fulfilled. Teacher Trainees’ Association of Ghana (TTAG) continues to call on the government to fulfil the specific promise. In April and May 2026, the association held press conferences demanding that the government reinstate the automatic posting.
The NDC manifesto also made promises meant to advance improved conditions of service for teachers and nurses.
Verdict
Therefore, Dr. Bawumia’s claim is true.
Claim 3
“The promise to cancel teacher licensure examinations…”
Fact-check
On Page 99 of the 2024 manifesto, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) promised to “abolish the teacher licensure examination and integrate the licensing process into the final year examination of trainees.”
GhanaFact understands that trainees still sit for the licensure examinations after completing school. GhanaFact also understands that students register with the National Teaching Council and select their preferred centres for the examination.
This means that the licensure examination has neither been scrapped nor integrated into teacher trainees’ final examinations.
Verdict
Therefore, the claim is true.
Claim 4
“Just as the promise to pay all Menzgold customers and customers of all financial institutions which collapsed.”
Fact-check
In the lead-up to the 2020 elections, the NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, indicated at a rally that his government would pursue and recover lost investments from Menzgold and pay its victims.
“When the NDC forms a government, we will ensure that we investigate the Menzgold issue and those whose money they have collected; we will pursue and retrieve the money and pay you all.”
The above promise was made in 2020, but the NDC lost that election. In its 2024 manifesto, the party did not make any general or specific promise regarding the locked-up funds in the Menzgold investment scheme.
Just as with the Menzgold promise in 2020, the promise to pay victims of the collapsed financial institutions was in 2020 and not in 2024.
“I pledge on behalf of the NDC that we shall, within one year of being in office, pay all funds that have been locked up with the collapsed financial institutions. Within our first year in office, we shall pay all the beneficiaries all funds locked up in the collapsed financial institutions, and it’s a promise. We shall not put together any long-term payment plan that will further worsen the living conditions of the victims,” President Mahama said on July 27, 2020.
This can also be found in the NDC 2020 manifesto.
All news articles found pointed to his comments in 2020. (Here, here and here). There was no mention in the 2024 manifesto of paying victims of collapsed financial institutions.
Verdict
Therefore, the claim is misleading.
