Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has emerged as Ghana’s first female vice-president after she was sworn into office with President John Mahama on Tuesday.
The 72-year-old academic in the process became only the third female vice president in the history of the West African sub-region.
Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang Academic Background
Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has blazed the trail in the Ghanaian academic and political landscape over the years. After earning her undergraduate degree in English and French at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and a Master’s degree in Literature from the University of Ghana, She went further to complete her doctoral studies in English at the York University in Toronto, Canada.
She was the first female Vice-Chancellor of a public university in Ghana, leading the University of Cape Coast from 2008 to 2012.
Foray Into Politics
Naana Jane Opoku’s first foray into politics came in 2013 when she was appointed Ghana’s Minister for Education by then-President John Dramani Mahama, becoming one of the few women in Ghana’s history to hold such a high-profile cabinet position.
As Minister of Education, she oversaw the distribution of free school uniforms, sandals, and textbooks to underprivileged students as part of efforts to increase school enrollment. She also advocated for inclusivity in education, ensuring increased opportunities for marginalized groups, particularly girls.
In July 2020, she was selected as the running mate of John Dramani Mahama, the presidential candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) becoming the first woman to be nominated as a vice-presidential candidate by a major political party in Ghana. John Mahama however did not win the elections then.
In 2024, she was again selected as John Mahama’s running mate and this time around the NDC candidate defeated John Bawunia to become Ghana’s new president making Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang the country’s first ever female vice-president.
As vice president, she would be expected to use her position as the country’s number two individual to further her advocacy on gender equality, educational reforms and social justice.
