Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang officially took office yesterday becoming the first female Vice President of Ghana.
This significant achievement serves to inspire confidence among Ghanaian girls and embodies the true essence of our pursuit for affirmative action.
She arrives at the office following a notable career in academia, culminating in her role as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and more recently, in the political arena.
This achievement marks yet another milestone, as she is the first woman to attain the position of Vice Chancellor at a public university in the nation.
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Early life and education
Born on November 22, 1951 in Cape Coast of Ghana - then Gold Coast, Jane Naana Sam, as she was, is a product of Anglican Girls' School in Koforidua, Aburi Presby Girls and Wesley Girls' Senior High School, Cape Coast in 1971.
She enrolled at the University of Cape Coast where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education (English and French option) in 1977. In search of further education, Professor Opoku-Agyemang proceeded to the University of Dakar, Senegal, for a Diploma in French before a Masters and Doctorate Degrees from the University of York, Toronto in Canada in 1980 and 1986, respectively.
At the University of Cape Coast is where Prof. Opoku-Agyemang taught and worked, starting from 1986 until 2012, she held various portfolios including Head of the Department of English, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Academic Director of the School for International Training in the History and Cultures of the African Diaspora, Warden of Adehye Hall, and the Founding Dean of School of Graduate Studies and Research.
As part of her many accomplishments in academia, she was until September 2024, the Chancellor of the Women's University in Africa, Harare, Zimbabwe for the past six years. At the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of slavery at the United Nations, New York, in 2007, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang was one of five scholars selected globally to deliver a presentation.
The 73 year old was also in 2009 elected to represent Ghana at the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); an agency of the UN which aims to promote world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture.
A full Professor of Literature, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang has authored many articles and books with focus on Women from Ghana, Oral literature in Ghana and Africa, Communication Skills and Issues in the African Diaspora as well as publishing in scholarly and reputable journals.
Politics
After serving as VC of the UCC between 2008 and 2012, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang entered politics and national governance where she was appointed the Minister for Education by President John Dramani Mahama in 2013. As Educational Minister, she implemented the progressively Free Senior High School, stipulated by the Constitution which benefited more than 100,000 students. She also oversaw the audacious project to build 200 Community Day Senior High School for the full roll-out of the pro-poor education policy.
During her tenure as Minister of Education, teacher absenteeism was reduced from 27 per cent to seven per cent, introduced private BECE, Ghana was the best performing country in the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination for four consecutive years, upgraded polytechnics into technical universities and colleges of Education into tertiary institutions, abolished the quota system in admissions to the Colleges of Education, giving more than 6,000 students the opportunity, eliminated the shift system by investing in infrastructure, amongst others.
Breaking the glass ceiling
Having distinguished herself as the minister for education, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang resonated by the 2020 presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Mahama, and the grassroots, and was chosen as the running mate for that year's elections. Though the NDC lost, it made a significant gain from the 44 per cent it got in 2016 to 47 in 2020. The party also moved its parliamentary seats to 137 from 106. With momentum of the side of the ticket, Mr Mahama stuck with Prof. Opoku-Agyemang and won the historic 2024 elections.
To Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, the victory of the NDC in the just ended elections and her elevation to the high office of Vice President presents her with the opportunity to pave the way for future generations.
"I know this is a big responsibility, and I don't intend to travel the journey by myself. You are all part of it. NDC is an inclusive party, and we are demonstrating it in many ways.
"My job was to open the door and it does not end there. Actually, that is where the work begins. I will hold the door open. The method of hope of opening the door, the method of holding the door open so, others wish to travel that door is what I'm implying. It is not a self-aggrandising position. It is a position that empowers others," she stated this at the presentation of Mr Mahama's victory speech.
As mother of three, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang would be expected to play an integral part in the John Mahama-led administration with oversight responsibility over the social sectors of the economy - education, health, children, gender and social protection.
"Prof. Opoku-Agyemang won't be a Vice President just because she is a woman. She is highly qualified in her own right and will make a good Vice President. She won't be a driver's mate, she'll be my co-driver and we will once again steer Ghana on the path of progress," President Mahama assured at a campaign rally in Gbani in the Talensi constituency during the electioneering campaign.
For Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, her [election] is not about producing a first Vice President but for a purpose that sets Ghana back on the path of progress.
"The purpose is the opportunity to hold our country together, again; to heal Ghana, pull [it] from the precipice of destruction, of normalising corruption, of incomprehensible greed, from deep despair...Our country is not sitting pretty. Things have gravely deteriorated," she said this at her outdooring in April 2024.
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Expectations
Being the first female to ascend to the position of a Vice President, the expectations of Prof. Opoku-Agyemang would be enormous, the most pressing the representation of women at the decision making table with the NDC pledging to ensure that at least 30 per cent of appointments went to women.
"We urge you [Prof Opoku-Agyemang] to commit to ensuring that women are a critical part of the diverse group of citizens involved in decision-making. This inclusion will enhance gender responsiveness in the implementation of legislation, the development of national security frameworks, and policy outcomes that benefit everyone," ABANTU for Development, a non-governmental organisation, dedicated to promoting gender-responsive policies in governance demanded of the new Vice President following the NDC's victory.
For the Affirmative Action Coalition, they are convinced Prof. Opoku-Agyemang's tenure would usher in transformative changes, reinforcing Ghana's commitment to equality and justice for all as the victory serves as "an inspiring testament to the power of perseverance and dedication."
Significant quotes:
"My job was to open the door and it does not end there. Actually, that is where the work begins. I will hold the door open."
"The method of hope of opening the door, the method of holding the door open so, others wish to travel that door is what I'm implying."
"It is not a self-aggrandising position. It is a position that empowers others."
