Earlier
today,
July
4,
2024,
His
Excellency
Dr
Mahamudu
Bawumia,
Vice
President
of
the
Republic
of
Ghana
and
Flagbearer
of
the
New
Patriotic
Party
(NPP),
presented
his
choice
for
a
running
mate
in
the
2024
general
election
to
the
National
Executive
Committee
(NEC)
and
the
National
Council
(NC)
of
the
party.
His
choice
is
Dr
Mathew
Opoku
Prempeh,
affectionately
known
as
Napo.
He
is
the
Member
of
Parliament
for
Manhyia
South,
the
current
Minister
for
Energy
and
the
former
Minister
for
Education.
Knowing
Dr
Bawumia,
a
man
with
a
spine
of
steel,
yet
the
agility
of
a
cheetah,
a
brilliant
and
analytical
mind
and
a
systematic
and
process-oriented
man,
his
choice
must
tell
us
about
the
future
he
envisions
for
Ghana.
I
see
a
future
of
possibilities,
hope
and
prosperity.
At
the
risk
of
sounding
biased,
in
my
humble
opinion,
the
Napo
I
know
is
the
man
for
the
job.
Contrary
to
the
artificial
tags
that
have
sometimes
been
used
to
characterise
him,
Napo
is
the
embodiment
of
a
servant
leader.
At
the
heart
of
Napo
is
service
to
people
and
service
to
leadership.
Working
with
him
and
for
him
at
the
Ministry
of
Education,
I
observed
his
vision
in
action,
his
passion
and
determination
to
ensure
that
he
delivers
quality
for
the
Ghanaian
people
as
desired
by
his
leader,
the
President
of
the
Republic.
As
a
mark
of
his
service
to
his
leader,
I
was
fortunate
to
be
close
enough
to
Napo
during
two
critical
periods
in
the
country
at
the
Education
Ministry.
In
2018,
Napo
handpicked
me
to
be
the
lead
technical
officer
in
the
conceptualisation,
design
and
implementation
of
the
Double
Track
System.
He
always,
and
I
mean
almost
on
a
daily
basis
reminded
me
that
we
must
not
fail
the
Ghanaian
children
and
the
President
who
had
bet
his
presidency
on
this
novel
intervention
at
the
time.
Napo
kept
everyone
involved
and
brought
everyone
along.
I
observed
him
organise
countless
meetings
and
consultative
sessions
with
key
stakeholders,
most
notably,
education
unions,
CHASS,
directors
of
education
and
key
CSOs.
He
kept
the
teacher
unions
close
to
him
in
the
process
and
personally
took
them
on
a
number
of
occasions
to
see
the
President,
ensuring
that
all
their
needs
during
this
critical
time
were
met.
Every
time
we
needed
to
prepare
an
update
to
the
cabinet,
I
was
instructed
by
Napo
to
prepare
two
advance
copies
of
the
presentation.
He
will
personally
write
on
the
back
of
the
two
folders
–
The
President
and
The
Vice
President.
He
will
seek
them
out
prior
to
cabinet
meetings
and
provide
them
with
an
advance
briefing,
ensuring
that
they
were
always
in
the
know
of
happenings.
Napo
serves
his
leaders.
In
2020,
with
the
global
pandemic
crippling
the
world,
Napo
again
sprang
into
action,
at
the
marching
orders
of
his
President,
to
ensure
that
there
was
going
to
be
continuity
of
learning
for
Ghanaian
students
even
with
the
closure
of
schools.
He
exhibited
his
ability
to
gather,
delegate
tasks
and
get
results.
In
the
ambiguity
that
characterised
the
COVID-19
period,
Napo
remained
resolute
with
immense
courage
and
empathy,
inspiring
us
all
with
his
undisputed
charisma
to
deliver
for
the
Ghanaian
people
and
his
President.
At
a
crucial
meeting
called
by
the
President
ahead
of
the
announcement
to
gradually
reopen
schools,
I
was
privileged
to
attend
as
a
chief
technical
officer
to
Napo.
I
was
dazzled
by
his
sheer
sense
of
self-awareness
and
respect
for
leadership.
I
observed
that
every
time
the
President
will
address
him
saying,
Mr.
Minister
for
Education,
Napo
will
effortlessly
jump
to
his
feet
to
listen
to
the
President.
At
no
point
did
he
remain
in
his
seat
when
his
President
addressed
him
directly
–
this,
I
thought
to
myself
at
the
time
and
ever
since,
as
a
magnificent
display
of
humility.
The
Napo
I
know
exhibits
a
deep
understanding
of
complex
issues
and
possesses
the
quality
of
being
an
active
listener
with
the
curiosity
needed
to
ensure
that
the
desired
outcome
is
achieved
and
all
involved
are
satisfied.
He
is
an
excellent
collaborator
and
this
is
exemplified
by
the
fact
that
his
tenure
as
the
Minister
for
Education
saw
no
labour
disputes
or
strikes
–
a
calm
no
other
Minister
for
Education
has
enjoyed
in
recent
memory.
Napo,
a
surgeon
by
training,
has
demonstrated
tremendous
learning
agility
and
adaptability
by
perhaps
acquitting
himself
as
the
most
consequential
Minister
of
Education
in
the
4th
Republic,
overseeing
the
most
transformative
educational
and
social
intervention
in
our
nation’s
history
–
The
Free
SHS.
Against
all
odds,
Napo’s
lasting
impact
on
education
may
turn
out
to
have
been
the
greatest
in
terms
of
the
crises
that
did
not
happen.
Despite
teetering
on
the
edge
of
an
educational
catastrophe,
as
described
by
his
naysayers,
the
nation’s
education
did
not
fall
into
the
abyss
that
so
many
predicted.
And
despite
calls
and
predictions
that
the
double
track
system
will
spell
doom
for
educational
outcomes,
the
nation
has
witnessed
unprecedented
learning
outcomes
at
the
WASSCE
with
Ghanaian
students
constantly
topping
WAEC
Excellence
Awards.
This
is
all
because
of
Napo’s
decisiveness,
his
ability
to
communicate
his
vision
and
his
resilience
in
the
face
of
adversity.
Napo
stands
the
test
of
time.
I
know
that
in
selecting
Dr
Matthew
Opoku
Prempeh,
Dr
Bawumia
will
enjoy
the
unalloyed
loyalty
of
a
trusted
lieutenant
ready
to
serve
with
integrity,
while
tapping
into
his
analytical
prowess
and
high
level
of
intelligence
in
service
to
Ghana
and
to
Dr
Bawumia.
Napo
will
be
an
active
listener
to
his
boss
and
complement
him
in
his
quest
to
ensure
that
the
growth
mindset
is
prevalent
in
his
government
and
administration.
It
is
undoubtable
that
Napo
also
comes
to
the
table
with
immense
expertise
in
political
leadership
that
will
balance
Dr
Bawumia
at
the
helm
of
the
most
dynamic
political
party
and
a
country
that
has
come
of
age
in
our
democratic
dispensation.
On
foreign
policy
leadership,
all
indications
are
that
Napo
has
the
ability
to
represent
his
boss
and
influence
the
international
stage
as
directed
by
Dr
Bawumia.
Napo
is
globally
minded
while
locally
focused
in
his
actions
and
decisions.
Kudos
to
Dr
Bawumia
for
demonstrating
to
us,
his
vision
of
a
Ghana
with
possibilities,
a
future
we
can
hope
for
and
a
Ghana
destined
for
prosperity.
About
the
Author
Dr.
Kwabena
Bempah
Tandoh
is
the
Deputy
Director-General
for
Quality
and
Access
of
the
Ghana
Education
Service.
Contact
email:
drkbtandoh@
gmail.com
“
The
Napo
I
know
exhibits
a
deep
understanding
of
complex
issues
and
possesses
the
quality
of
being
an
active
listener
with
the
curiosity
needed
to
ensure
that
the
desired
outcome
is
achieved
and
all
involved
are
satisfied.
“
BY
DR.
KWABENA
BEMPAH
TANDOH