Profile: Who is Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (Napo)

The choice of a running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has hogged news headlines since December 2023 when the party’s 2024 flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, requested more time to name his partner for the upcoming polls.

Since then, speculations, polls, analyses and expert opinions have been published in the media as to why one person or the other will be the ideal candidate and or why picking a person from a particular region will be the best.

On June 26, 2024; it emerged that the Bawumia had presented a name to his boss, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; it wasn’t before long that several media outlets announced that the person was Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, alias Napo.

Dr. Opoku Prempeh is a royal, which many people view as a plus in rallying the party’s base (vote bank) to vote massively come 2024, he is a trained medic and has served as a lawmaker (since 2009) and as cabinet minister since 2017.

He brings a lot to the ticket, while the opposition could also throw a lot at him. Below is a profile of the VP candidate as published by CERAWeek by S&P Global

Who is Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh?

Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh is the Minister for Energy and the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Manhyia South constituency in the Ashanti Region.

He was born on May 23, 1968, in Kumasi, where he went on to have his primary, secondary and tertiary education.

At the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), he obtained a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Human Biology in 1992 and a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MB, ChB) degree in 1995.

After serving as a House Officer at the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital from 1995 until 1997, Dr. Prempeh continued his education at the Erasmus University in The Netherlands, obtaining an M.Sc in Clinical Epidemiology in 1998.

He proceeded to the United Kingdom to work, becoming a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow in 2002. He returned to Ghana in 2003 to pursue a career in business and politics.

He is also a Harvard Scholar and an alumnus of the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program. Political Career: Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh ran for Parliament on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) during the 2008 general election and won the mandate to represent the people of Manhyia.

Subsequently, the constituency was divided into two and he went on to become Member of Parliament for the Manhyia South Constituency in 2012. He retained the seat at the 2016 elections and again at the 2020 elections.

Following the victory of the NPP in the 2016 general elections, Dr. Prempeh was appointed by President Akufo-Addo as Minister for Education from 2017 to 2021.

During his tenure, he successfully led the team at the Ministry to deliver on the flagship education programme of the government, the Free Senior High School programme, to wide admiration even from his political opponents.

His team also delivered on curriculum reforms, teacher reforms and several initiatives to promote and mainstream Technical, Vocational Training and Education (TVET), among others.

In the aftermath of the NPP’s victory at the 2020 general elections, President Akufo-Addo nominated Dr. Prempeh to serve as Minister for Energy.

He has since championed various major projects including the completion of rural electrification (currently 86%) by 2024; renegotiation of Power Agreements; the revamping of Ghana’s cylinder manufacturing company and improvement of the cylinder recirculation model to meet Ghana’s clean energy goals; the establishment of a petroleum hub; revision of local content legislation, improving the efficiency of electricity producers and distributors; and relieving the energy debt stock of Ghana through the Energy Sector Recovery Programme (ESRP).

Awards:

Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh was adjudged the best Minister in 2017 and 2019 and is the recipient of the 2020 Harvard Ministerial Medal of Achievement in recognition of his exemplary leadership style.

He has also received 2 Honorary Doctorates from the University of Education, Winneba and the University for Professional Studies, Accra, for his leadership and achievements as Education Minister.

He was also recently named in the top 25 Movers and Shakers in the Energy Sector by the African Energy Chamber.

Source: GhanaWeb