OPINION: Dr Bawumia and Napo – a formidable team for a prosperous Ghana

Article 60(2) of Ghana’s constitution states that a candidate for the office of vice-president shall be designated by the candidate for the office of president before the election of the president.

It is this provision which mandates the current presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Dr Bawumia, to choose a running mate.

The person chosen as the running mate, whose profile will be delved into in the subsequent paragraphs, is Matthew Opoku Prempeh (Napo).

Dr Opoku Prempeh was born on 23 May 1968 in Ashanti New Town, a suburb of Kumasi. He is a member of the royal family in the Ashanti Region, a Christian and a nephew of Ghana’s former president His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor.

He has served as the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South in the Ashanti Region for four consecutive terms.

Student leader

Dr Opoku Prempeh began his elementary schooling at KNUST Primary and transferred to Prempeh College in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region in Ghana, for his middle school.

In 1994 Napo graduated with an MB CHB from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where he was also the president of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS).

In 1998, he began postgraduate studies in clinical epidemiology at the Netherlands Institute of Health Sciences, followed by a certificate course in leadership and government from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. In 2002, Napo completed his postgraduate surgical training in the UK, becoming a member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS).

Dr Opoku Prempeh was the chief executive officer of Keyedmap Security Services Limited between 2004 and 2009, before proceeding to Parliament. He is a medical doctor by profession and was a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of the United Kingdom between 1999 to 2003.

His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appointed Opoku Prempeh as the minister of education after he won the 2016 presidential election. During his tenure as education minister, he enhanced Ghana’s educational infrastructure, promoted vocational and technical education (TVET), spearheaded the government’s flagship Free Senior High School (SHS) initiative and pushed STEM education.

After the 2020 general election the president appointed Napo to serve as the Minister of Energy and he has held that position since.

Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, the incoming president of Ghana, has chosen the best partner in Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who loves him as his own soul. Just as Joshua and Caleb battled together to capture the Promised Land, Dr Bawumia and Dr Opoku Prempeh are the team formed by the hand of the Creator of all.

The synergy they have built will help solve the developmental problems that Ghana is experiencing and also build our economic prospects to make us a great nation.

Napo’s vibrancy and leadership qualities will complement Dr Bawumia’s strategic thinking and economic knowledge, forming a strong combination that will spur advancement and transformation in Ghana, just as Joshua and Caleb did in their day.

With Dr Prempeh by his side, Dr Bawumia will have a reliable and capable partner to help him realise his vision of a prosperous Ghana.

Neil Owusu

The writer is a member of the national communications team of the NPP