“I will reduce the number of people who die if I become the president” — Dr. Yaw Adutwum

Former Education Minister and leading New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirant, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has vowed to drastically reduce deaths in Ghana if he is elected president — part of a broader vision for improving public health and social welfare. 

Speaking during his campaign outreach to delegates in the Ashanti Region on 28 November 2025, Adutwum said that under his leadership, Ghana would implement robust reforms to raise life expectancy and tackle rising youth-mortality rates. 

“Youth mortality has become alarmingly rampant.” He added that any president unconcerned about this crisis should “rethink their priorities.” 

Adutwum’s commitment is embedded in a proposed comprehensive health and social-services policy framework. He envisions raising Ghana’s average life expectancy to 75 years — a significant increase from current levels — by tackling the structural deficiencies in the national health system and addressing socio-economic factors contributing to premature deaths. 

He argued that reducing deaths is not just a health issue, but also a matter of dignity and national productivity: “A healthy, long-living population is the backbone of a prosperous Ghana,” he reportedly said. 

Beyond health, Adutwum reiterated his broader agenda of socio-economic transformation. He plans a “fearless, compassionate war against poverty,” asserting that poverty — more than cost-of-living pressures — remains the gravest threat facing Ghana today. He warned that until poverty is confronted head-on, efforts at improving health, education, and welfare will remain incomplete. 

A key plank of his campaign is education: building on his prior reforms as Education Minister, he has pledged to introduce free university (tertiary) education for Ghanaian students — expanding access to higher education and creating opportunities for upward social mobility. 

Adutwum argues that combining better education, reduced poverty, and stronger health infrastructure will produce a resilient, thriving Ghana where citizens live longer, healthier lives. 

But his bold claim — that he will “reduce the number of people who die” — also raises questions: critics may demand concrete plans and metrics, and call for clarity on how these mortality reductions will be achieved (health-system reforms, disease prevention, poverty alleviation, etc.).

Still, for many Ghanaians grappling with limited access to quality health care, rising youth mortality, and economic hardship, Adutwum’s promise may resonate — offering hope of a future where life expectancy is not a privilege, but a guarantee.