The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the just-named running mate to former President John Mahama, as a danger to Ghana.

A few hours after the National Democratic Congress’ flag bear and the party announced Prof Opoku-Agyemang as Mr Mahama’s running mate for the 7 December 2020 polls, the NPP’s Director of Communication, Mr Yaw Buaben Asamoa, told journalists at a press conference that track record of Ghana’s first-ever female Vice-Chancellor and former Minister of Education, portends ill for the country if she ever becomes Vice-President.

“Teachers were the highest hit when Naana Opoku-Agyemang was Education Minister”, Mr Buaben Asamoa said, adding: “These inhumane treatments meted out to Ghanaian teachers at the time was the brainchild of Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the-then Minister of Education”.

“We need not remember anybody that the cold-hearted manner by which teachers were treated cannot be forgotten easily by the teachers themselves or the nation”, the Adentan MP said.

“The worst thing associated with her name is the Montie 3 saga”, Mr Asamoa recalled, explaining: “When the trio threatened death on some Supreme Court Justices, she was one of the people who joined the campaign and appended her signature to have the trio, who had been incarcerated at the Nsawam Prison, released against sound advice by well-meaning Ghanaians”.

“How can such a woman be given such a responsibility now to take care of everybody in the country?” he asked.

“We wonder what message candidate Mahama is sending to Ghanaians by picking Opoku-Agyemnag as Vice-Presidential candidate when her stewardship in the past brought hardship to teachers and trauma to her colleague women”.

“While we wish the NDC well in this regard, we also wish to tell the NDC that we are ready to tell Ghanaians about the dangers she poses to our growth and development as a country”, he said.

Mr Buaben Asamoa noted that: “We only conclude that the choice of Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman by Mr John Dramani Mahama is a clear indication that he does not take the Ghanaian electorate seriously”.

About Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang

Born on 22 November 1951 in Cape Coast, Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang attended Anglican Girls' Secondary School at Koforidua and Aburi Presby Girls’ School.

She then had her secondary education at the Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast from 1964 to 1971. She completed B.Ed. (Hons) in English and French at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in 1977 and obtained her Masters and Doctorate degrees from York University in Toronto, Canada in 1980 and 1986.

Professor Opoku-Agyemang taught and worked at UCC starting in 1986.

She has held various academic positions including Head of the Department of English, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Warden of Adehye Hall, Valco Trust Fund Post-Graduate Hostel, and Dean of School of Graduate Studies and Research.

From 1997, she held the position of Academic Director of the School for International Training in the History and Cultures of the African Diaspora. From 2008-2012 she was the University's Vice-Chancellor.

In March 2007, she was one of five scholars selected to deliver presentations during the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

In October 2009, she was elected Ghana's representative to the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Ahead of the 2012 general elections, Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang moderated the debate with now information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.  

Between February 2013 and January 2017, she served as the Education Minister of Ghana.

On 26 October 2018, she became the Chancellor of the Women's University in Africa located in Zimbabwe.

She has served on many local and international boards and committees such as the Centre for Democratic Governance, (CDD-Ghana), the Editorial Board of The Harriet Tubman Series on the African Diaspora (Africa World Press Inc. USA), the Africa Initiative in Canada, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons as Eminent Citizen.