After graduating from Tamale Secondary School, he went to the United Kingdom, where he studied banking and obtained the Chartered Institute of Bankers Diploma (ACIB).

From 1988 to 1990, Bawumia worked as a lecturer in monetary economics and international finance at the Emile Woolf College of Accountancy in London, England.

[21] Between 1996 and 2000, Bawumia served as an assistant professor of economics in the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, USA, where he received a Young Researcher Award in 1998.

[27] In October 2009, he was appointed as a Fellow of the International Growth Centre (IGC), a research institute based jointly at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Oxford University that provides advice on economic growth to governments of developing countries, specifically serving as an IGC Team Member for Sierra Leone.

He served in this position until reappointed as the vice-presidential candidate to Nana Akufo-Addo on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party for Ghana's 2012 presidential election.

[29] The party won 10 seats in the Northern Region including Yendi, Walewale, Yagaba – Kubore, Bunkpurugu, Bimbilla, Chereponi, Kpandai, Tatale – Sanguli, Tolon and Zabzugu.

Bawumia won NPP presidential primary with 61.43% of total valid votes cast which happened on 4 November 2023 at 276 constituencies across the country and the Party Headquarters, Asylum Down, Accra.

[46] He is a member of the Mabia (Mossi-Dagbon) ethnicity, shares same heritage with influential figures as Thomas Sankara, Alhassane Ouattara, Haruna Iddrisu, among others.

In October 2020, he formally commissioned an ultramodern mosque built and fully funded by him for use by the people of Prang in the Bono East area.

[50] Dr. Bawumia had earlier in June same year settle over nearly 6 decades land lease arrears for the Kumasi Central Mosque.

[56] The Digital Ghana Agenda, led by the Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia has brought enormous transformation to the country, which include;[58][59]