John and Jane
After a long search for a partner to stage a comeback, former President John Dramani Mahama the Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) named a former Education Minister, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, as his running mate ahead of the 2020 Presidential election.
John is a Christian and a communicator from Bole in the Northern Region, while Jane is a Christian and educationist from Central Region, one of Ghana’s swing and tourist regions.
With the usual murmuring and grumbling that heralds such announcements, this was not different, when some cliques in the circles of the party hierarchy decide to rant ahead of the candidate’s presentation.
But the calm was restored moments after the Flagbearer, John Mahama took his turn to address the Elders of his party.
Announcing the selection, Mahama said he is impressed by the credentials and virtues upheld by the choice he made.
In a post on Facebook shortly after the announcement, he described Madam Opoku-Agyemang as “God-fearing, a distinguished scholar, a conscientious public servant, and a role model.”
The Presidential election has been slated for December 7, 2020.
Profile of Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman:
Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang is the current Africa Board Chairperson of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE). She has been a FAWE member since 2014. She is a former Minister of Education in Ghana.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang was appointed the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast in 2008, the first female Vice-Chancellor of a public university in Ghana.
Before heading the university, she had since 1986 served as head of the Department of English, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dean of the Board of Graduate Studies, and Founding Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research.
She was also the Academic Director of the African Diaspora Studies programme of School for International Training Study Abroad.
In October 2009, she was elected Ghana’s representative to UNESCO’s Executive Board. She has been re-elected for a second time to UNESCO Executive Board.
She obtained her Diplôme Supérieure d’Etudes Françaises from the University of Dakar, Senegal in 1976, a B. A. (Hons) with a Diploma in Education from the University of Cape Coast in 1977 and Masters and Doctorate degrees from York University in Toronto, Canada in 1980 and 1986 respectively.
Naana has chaired more than twenty Boards and Committees, among them: the Council of the University College of Education, Winneba 1998-2002; Academic Committee of the Ghana Council for Tertiary Education; and was Joint Co-coordinator of the Specialist Program in English Language and Ghanaian Culture for Japan Overseas Co-operation Volunteers 1991-1993.
She has also chaired the Adjudication Committee, VALCO Literary Awards, Ghana 1993-1998; Board of Governors, Ghana Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-Ghana) since its founding in 1998; and, Board of Governors, Wesley Girls High School 1994-1998.
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the development and promotion of quality education in Ghana, the Ghana Women of Excellence Award has conferred her.
She is a member of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences; University Teachers Association of Ghana; English Studies Association; African Studies Association, USA; African Literature Association, USA; and the International Fulbright Scholars Association.
She is the recipient of four honorary doctoral degrees; the Global Leadership Award; many national and international awards; she serves on several councils, boards, and committees and has published many books and articles. She is also a two-time Fulbright scholar and is currently a Fellow of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL).
She is from Cape Coast in the Central Region.
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