Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the North Tongu Member of Parliament, has taken aim at political analysts and experts who have cast doubt on Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang’s qualifications and preparedness to serve as vice president.
For the second time, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang was formally introduced as John Mahama’s running mate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Wednesday.
In his discussion on “The Naana Opoku-Agyemang Effect” on JoyNews’ PM Express, Mr. Ablakwa fervently argued for an impartial evaluation of the former Education Minister.
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Mr. Ablakwa highlighted Prof. Agyemang’s illustrious career and the importance of honouring her ground-breaking accomplishments on a national and international level.
“This is someone who has blazed a path and become the first in numerous instances. She is the first Ghanaian to lead FAWE [the Figuration of African Women Educationist] in Kenya, the first woman to be named Chancellor of a women’s institution in Zimbabwe, and a former member of the UNESCO Board. She is also the female vice chancellor of a public university.
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Her foreign background has never been questioned. What then do these global establishments and organisations find so appealing in her? She keeps receiving so many honours on a global scale. However, a lot of people back home want to doubt whether she’s qualified for the vice presidential position or not,” he remarked.
Concerns were voiced by Mr. Ablakwa over the discrepancy between Prof. Opoku-Agyemang’s reputation on a global scale and the mistrust she encounters in Ghana.
He pointed out that many people in the nation doubt her suitability for high-level posts, such as vice president, despite her stellar credentials and accomplishments.
Mr. Ablakwa refuted this scepticism by citing Prof. Agyemang’s fruitful term as a well-known university’s vice chancellor, her pioneering work as the Minister of Education on educational reforms, and her crucial part in the shift system in basic schools.
She was the driving force behind the transformation of all of our polytechnics into technical universities while she was at the Ministry. She also made sure that our basic schools no longer used the shift system. This had hampered our basic education system for many years.
She was able to address the issue of schools under trees, getting rid of roughly 2000 of them, which made it easier for her to do away with the shift system. So she’s accomplished a lot.
While highlighting these accomplishments, Mr. Ablakwa bemoaned a societal trend that favours “talkers” over people who produce noticeable outcomes and emphasised the significance of valuing Prof. Agyemang’s significant contributions above his outward appearance.
We’re used to talkers in our country, but they tend to be poor communicators. We are accustomed to individuals who prefer show off rather than provide value.
